Atmospheric Stability Flashcards
When parcels of air are lifted within a stable atmosphere, they will…
sink to their original level
When air is lifted within an unstable atmosphere, it will tend to…
continue to rise
What determines whether or not the atmosphere is stable on a given day is the..
ELR
The term used to described a lapse rate of >3 Celsius/1000 feet is…
Steep
Name 3 descriptive terms for the ELR for which there would be absolute stability
Shallow
Isothermal
Inversion
If the atmosphere is conditionally unstable, dry parcels lifted within the atmosphere would become WARMER/COLDER than the air around it, while saturated parcels lifted would become WARMER/COLDER than the air around it.
COLDER & WARMER
The lapse rate at which dry air is stable and saturated air unstable is…
+2 Celsius / 1000 feet
A modification of the ELR so that it would become steeper, and therefore more unstable, could be achieved by:
daytime sunshine
Which situation would be the most favorable for instability to develop?
cold air moving in on top of warm air
Stable air is likely to be associated with…
layer clouds or fog, continuous precipitation
If a parcel of air has to be saturated in order to become unstable when lifted, then the atmosphere is considered to be…
conditionally unstable
A location where instability is most likely to develop is…
near an occluded low
A location where stability is most likely to develop is…
ahead of a warm front
How would you describe the stability of the ICAO standard atmosphere
conditionally stable
