Chapter 11: Adiabatics, Stability and Cloud Formation (PP ch 8/13)

Question 1

ELR, DALR, SALR

why is SALR smaller? How does it increase?

Answer 1

ELR - Environment Lapse Rate
1.98 / 1000 ft or .65 / 100 m

DALR - Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate
3 / 1000 ft or 1 / 100 m

SALR - Saturated Adiabatic Lapse Rate
1.8 / 1000 ft or .6 / 100 m
smaller lapse rate because of condensation. Increases exponentially.

Question 2

Neutral Stability

Answer 2

ELR = DALR - Clear day
ELR = SALR - Cloudy

Question 3

Absolute Instability

Cloud, Precipitation, Turbulence, Visibility, Pressure System

Answer 3

ELR > DALR ; ELR > SALR
dry / saturated air become warmer and rise

Clouds: cumuliform
Precipitation: SHRA / SHRN
Turbulence: moderate to severe
Visibility: good outside of SH
Pressure system: Low

Question 4

Absolute Stability

Cloud, Precipitation, Turbulence, Visibility, Pressure System

Answer 4

ELR < DALR ; ELR < SALR
dry / saturated air becomes colder and fall

Clouds: stratiform
Precipitation: DZ, SG
Turbulence: light to moderate
Visibility: poor
Pressure System: High

Question 5

Conditional Instability

Answer 5

ELR < DALR ; ELR > SALR

dry air falls, saturated air rises

Question 6

Tephigram

Radiosond

Answer 6

Tephigram - diagram to determine stability of air

Radiosond - attached to weather ballon
Measures T, hum, P
if GPS attached, Vwind, wind direction

Question 7

Cloud Formation Mechanisms (7)

Answer 7

Surface Heating
Cold Front
Warm Front
Orographic Stable
Orographic Unstable
Convergence
Turbulence

Question 8

Cloud Dissipation

Answer 8

Adiabatic warming