Ens211 - Weather and Climate - Lecture Notes Three 2017 (Compatibility Mode)

TEMPERATURE CHANGE WITH
ALTITUDE
The atmosphere is mostly heated
by the Earths surface which emits
long-wave radiation to the
overlying air.
As a result, during the day, the
upper atmosphere is cooler than
the lower atmosphere which is in
contact with the warm Earths
surface.
The decrease of temperature with
altitude is called the
environmental lapse rate (
6.5oC/km).
When the temperature increases
with latitude this is called
temperature inversion.
ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY
When air is heated, it becomes warmer, less dense,
buoyant and tends to rise, and is said to be UNSTABLE.
Conversely, when air is cooled, it becomes cooler, denser,
and tend to sinks, and is said to be STABLE.
As a result, pockets or parcels of warm, unstable, rising air
(called thermals) are warmer than the ambient
(surrounding) environment.
Thermals
THE ADIABATIC PROCESS
When air is forced it rise, it experiences a drop in ambient
pressure, and this causes it to expand.
The expansion requires energy, and the air must use its own
internal energy to expand, and this causes its temperature to drop,
resulting in cooling.
Thus, the cooling of rising air parcels (thermals) during ascent due
to expansion as the ambient pressure drops is called adiabatic
cooling.
Conversely, sinking air parcels will constrict as they descend due
to increasing ambient pressure and this is called adiabatic
warming.
The process of adiabatic cooling and warming is called the
adiabatic process.
Adiabatic cooling or warming occurs at a fixed (constant) rate of
roughly 10oC/km.
THE ADIABATIC PROCESS
CAUSES OF ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY
AND INSTABILITY
A stable atmosphere results from
- radiative cooling (when the ground or water surface
cools by losing heat through long-wave radiation, e.g.
at night)
- advective cooling (when air moves over a cold surface)
- cold advection (during the invasion or influx of cold air,
e.g. in a cold front)
An unstable atmosphere results from
- radiative warming (when the surface is heated strongly
such as on a hot sunny day)
- advective warming (when air moves over a warm surface)
- warm advection (during an invasion or influx of warm air
e.g. in a warm front)
DETERMINING ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY
Atmospheric stability can be
determined by comparing the

environmental lapse rate () and
the adiabatic lapse rate ().
< : atmosphere is unstable,
and air is less dense, buoyant and
tends to rise, creating low
pressure (L).
> : atmosphere is stable,
air is dense and tends to sink,
creating high pressure (H).
= : atmosphere is neutral,
and air will neither rise nor sink
since vertical air motion is
suppressed, and temperature is
constant with height.
ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY
ATMOSPHERIC INSTABILITY
DETERMINATION OF ATMOSPHERIC
STABILITY AND INSTABILITY
UNSTABLE LAYER IN THE
ATMOSPHERE
ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY AND
WEATHER
Atmospheric instability ( > ) favours air uplift and cloud

formation since rising moist air will cool adiabatically to below
dewpoint so that saturation and condensation of water vapour
occurs.
Atmospheric stability ( < ) inhibits cloud formation since the
sinking air is warming adiabatically, resulting in fine (cloudless)
and calm (windless) weather and dew and/or radiation fog (if the
surface is cold and air is moist).
During neutral conditions ( = ) , the air has the same
temperature as the surroundings, i.e. conditions are isothermal
and the air will neither rise nor sink.
Neutral conditions usually occur at sunrise or sunset during fine
and calm weather, and during cloudy and/or windy conditions.
THE AIR LIFTING PROCESS
Condensation of water vapour can be achieved by either adding
water vapour into the air beyond saturation or cooling the air to
below dew-point temperature.
Ordinarily, the atmospheric environment has seldom enough
moisture for the air for it to be saturated.
Saturation of air in the atmosphere is usually achieved by lifting the
air (mass) so that it cools adiabatically to dewpoint.
In the atmosphere, air lifting is accomplished by one or a

combination of the following processes:
radiative surface heating (spontaneous rise of thermals)
orographic uplift (air ascent over a topographic barrier)
convergent uplift (occurs when contrasting air masses
meet and the lighter one warm air overrides the cold one).
frontal uplift (when warm moist air masses override a
cold one during a frontal activity)
NATURAL AIRLIFTING MECHANISMS

Ens211 - Weather and Climate - Lecture Notes Three 2017 (Compatibility Mode)

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Ens211 - Weather and Climate - Lecture Notes Three 2017 (Compatibility Mode)

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TEMPERATURE CHANGE WITH

Atmospheric instability ( > ) favours air uplift and cloud

In the atmosphere, air lifting is accomplished by one or a

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