Lapse Rate Adiabatic LR

Lapse Rate & Adiabatic Lapse
Rate
(Vertical Distribution of Temperature)
Vertical Distribution of Temperature
• In the Troposphere, temperature decreases with

increasing height
• On an average, the rate of decrease of temperature
with increasing altitudes, in a stationary column of
air with absence of any vertical motion, is 6.5°C per
1 Km
• This decrease of temperature is called vertical
temperature gradient or the rate of this decrease is
called Normal Lapse Rate.
• However, this normal lapse rate varies with height,
season, latitude and other factors.
Lapse Rate
• Lapse derived from Latin word – Lapsus – to glide, slip or fall.
• Lapse Rate – Rate of change in temperature observed while moving upward through the
Earth’s atmosphere.
• The actual lapse rate of temperature does not always show a decrease with altitude.
• The lapse rate is considered:

• Positive - when temperature decreases
with elevation
• Zero - when temperature is constant
with elevation
• Negative - when temperature increases
with elevation (Inversion of temperature)
• Normal Lapse Rate - Rate of decrease of
temperature with height (6.5°C per 1000m)
Factors behind Normal Lapse Rate
• Heat is transferred from the earth’s surface to the troposphere through conduc-
tion, radiation and convection.
• Thus, as the altitude increases, the amount of heat transferred upward de-
creases.
• Quantity of water vapour, dust particles, carbon dioxide etc., which absorb
outgoing long-wave terrestrial radiation, is more concentrated in the lower
troposphere and decrease rapidly with increasing altitude.
• Air pressure & density is higher in the lower troposphere near the earth’s
surface - because of weight of all the air layers lying above;
• Decreasing air pressure with altitude implies that the temperature also falls
(Pressure is directly proportional to Temperature and vice versa)
Adiabatic Lapse Rate
• Normal Lapse Rate (NLR) or Environmental Lapse Rate (ELR): Lapse rate of
non-rising air
• Adiabatic Lapse Rate (ALR): Lapse Rate within a rising or descending air
parcel adiabatically, i.e. without any loss or gain of heat
• Adiabatic derived from Greek word ‘Adiabatos’ – impassable
• In Adiabatic change - Heat doesn’t enter or leave the system (air parcel) -
All temperature changes are internal – and are only due to change in
pressure or volume or both.
• Adiabatic Lapse rate is governed by Gas Laws
Gas Laws (for additional reference)
• Charles' Law – states that volume of a gas is proportional to its Kelvin
temperature.
• Boyle's Law - states that the volume of a given amount of gas held at
constant temperature varies inversely with the applied pressure
when the temperature and mass are constant.
• Avagadro's Law- states that the volume is proportional to the
amount of gas in moles when pressure and temperature are held
constant.
• Gay Lussac's Law - states that the pressure of a given amount of gas
held at constant volume is directly proportional to the Kelvin
temperature.
Understanding the Adiabatic Processes
• A parcel of air rises when it is less
dense than the surrounding
environment and it falls when its
density becomes greater than the
surrounding environment.
• This beginning of rise and fall of air
parcel is due to non-adiabatic heating
and cooling respectively.
• However, once the rise and fall of air
parcel starts, then due to changes in
external atmospheric pressure, the
temperature withing the air parcel
changes due to adiabatic process.
Adiabatic Decrease in Temperature (Positive ALR)
• When an air parcel receives more heat
than the surrounding air, its temperature
increases leading to an increase in volume
(& decrease in density).
• As the air parcel becomes lighter than the
surrounding air, it starts to rise. Until now
the process is non-adiabatic (there is heat
exchange between the air parcel and the
external environment).
• When the air parcel starts rising, the
ambient/external atmospheric pressure
acting on it will decrease (the atmospheric
pressure decreases with height)
Adiabatic Decrease in Temperature (Positive ALR)
• With this fall in ambient pressure, the temperature of

the air parcel falls and its volume increases.
• This is adiabatic (there is no heat exchange between
the air parcel and the external environment. All the
temperature changes are internal and temperature
changes are only due to change in pressure or volume
or both).
• This fall in temperature with the rising of the air
parcel is called Adiabatic Temperature Lapse. And the
rate at which it happens is called Adiabatic Lapse
Rate
• This is Positive Adiabatic Lapse Rate as the
temperature is falling.
Adiabatic Increase in Temp. (Negative ALR)
• When cooled sufficiently, an air parcels
falls to the lower troposphere
• When an air parcel is in upper
troposphere, it gets cooled due to lower
temperatures of the surrounding.
• Resultantly its volume falls (& its density
increases). When it becomes more denser
than the surroundings, the air parcel
starts to fall.
• The beginning of this fall is a non-adiabatic process as there is an exchange of heat

between the air parcel and the surrounding environment.
• When the air parcel starts falling, the external atmospheric pressure acting on it will
increase, and its internal temperature will increase adiabatically.
• This is Negative Adiabatic Lapse Rate as the temperature is rising.
Summary of Adiabatic Lapse Rate
• Adiabatic change refers to the change in temperature with pressure.
• On descent through atmosphere, the lower layers are compressed
under atmospheric pressure. As a result, the temperature increases.
• On ascent, the air expands as pressure decreases. This expansion
reduces the temperature and aids condensation of water vapour.
• Condensation of water vapour releases the Latent Heat of
Condensation in the process.
• This latent heat of condensation is the major driving force behind
tropical cyclones, convectional rains.
Dry & Wet Adiabatic Lapse
Rates
Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate (DALR)
• DALR occurs when a parcel of dry or unsaturated
air rises under adiabatic conditions.
• When the rising air parcel has little moisture, little
condensation happens – resulting in low release of
the latent heat of condensation.
• As a result, the fall in temperature with height is
greater compared to Adiabatic Lapse Rate (normal
parcel of air).
• In dry air, the adiabatic lapse rate is 9.8 °C/km
• DALR is mainly associated with stable
conditions (because of less moisture involved).
Wet/Moist Adiabatic Lapse Rate
• It occurs when a parcel of saturated air rises under adiabatic conditions.

• When such an air parcel rises, some of the vapour condenses and releases
latent heat (additional heat added to the surrounding). This process causes
the parcel to cool slowly compared to a dry air parcel.
• The moist adiabatic lapse rate varies strongly with temperature. A typical
value is around 5 °C/km
• The greater the amount of vapour, the smaller the adiabatic lapse rate
[because latent heat of condensation gets added to the surrounding].
• Wet Adiabatic Lapse rate is mainly associated with unstable conditions
(because of more moisture involved).
Implications of Lapse Rate
• The difference between the normal lapse rate in the atmosphere and
the dry and moist adiabatic lapse rates determines the vertical
stability of the atmosphere.
• Thus, the lapse rate is of utmost importance to meteorologists in

forecasting some types of cloud formations, the occurrence of
thunderstorms, and the intensity of turbulence in atmosphere.

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Lapse Rate & Adiabatic Lapse

• In the Troposphere, temperature decreases with

• The lapse rate is considered:

• With this fall in ambient pressure, the temperature of

• The beginning of this fall is a non-adiabatic process as there is an exchange of heat

• It occurs when a parcel of saturated air rises under adiabatic conditions.

• Thus, the lapse rate is of utmost importance to meteorologists in

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