  The scale heights of stratification and the widths of steady solar coronal
loops exhibit properties unexplained by standard theory: observed scale heights
are often much greater than static theory predicts, while the nearly-constant
widths of loop emission signatures defy theoretical expectations for large flux
tubes in stratified media. In this work we relate the cross-sectional profile
of a coronal flux tube to its density scale height in steady-state plasma flow
regimes. Steady flows may shorten or lengthen the scale height according to how
the tube cross-sectional area varies with arclength. In a near-potential corona
the flux tubes are expected to be sufficiently expansive in many active regions
for scale heights to be increased by steady flows. On the other hand, cases
where scale lengths are actually increased to observed sizes form a small part
of the solution space, close to regimes where density profiles reverse.
Therefore, although steady flows are the only steady process known to be
capable of extending scale heights significantly, they are not expected to be
not responsible for the majority of extended active region scale heights.
