Science A-30

Section Handout #3
February 26-27 2008

CONTENTS:

I. Vertical Motion in the Atmosphere: Lapse Rates & Stability

II. Cloud Formation
III. Examples

I. Vertical Motion in the Atmosphere: Lapse Rates & Stability

Observed vertical profile of temperature in the atmosphere at 30°N (summer average):

In the troposphere (sea level up to 12-15 [km]), temperature decreases with altitude.

(1) Barometric Law: change of air pressure with altitude:

P(z)=P(0) exp(-z/H)
where P is the pressure, z the altitude and H the scale height such that H=k T/ mg assuming a
constant temperature (isothermal atmosphere). H ~ 7 [km] on average using T=250 [K]. This is
not a realistic representation of the atmosphere but it is very useful anyway!

(2) Air parcel: hypothetical body of air assumed to be isolated from its surrounding (no heat
exchange with the surrounding ⇒ adiabatic). An air parcel needs to be larger than the size of a
single molecule of air but small enough that it has a single temperature, pressure and
composition. Parcels of air match the surrounding pressure by:
・Expanding/Contracting ⇒ Change in Temperature (Work is done, so energy is exchanged)
・Change in Temperature ⇒ Change in Buoyancy

(3) Decrease of temperatures in the troposphere with altitude due to the work done on the
atmosphere by a rising air parcels (& to atmospheric radiation …)

(4) Moving up (down) a parcel of air ⇒ pressure of the environment is less (more) than the
pressure of the parcel ⇒ expansion (contraction) of the air parcel ⇒ decrease (increase) of the
pressure of the parcel ⇒ decrease (increase) of the temperature of the parcel due to the work
done by the parcel on the atmosphere ⇒ buoyancy force created.

(5) Adiabatic lapse rate: how a parcel’s temperature changes with altitude (no heat exchange or
water condensation):
ΔT/Δz = -g/Cp = -9.8 K / km
Dry air parcels have adiabatic lapse rates or -9.8 [K/km].

(6) Atmospheric lapse rate: how the atmosphere’s temperature (different than the temperature
parcel) changes with altitude. This has to be measured.

(7) Stability depends on comparing the lapse rate of a parcel to the lapse rate of the environment.
We, thus, get the following relationship:

Stable: lapse rate of parcel < lapse rate of environment

Unstable: lapse rate of parcel > lapse rate of environment
Neutral: lapse rate of parcel = lapse rate of environment

(8) dry air parcels have adiabatic lapse rates or -9.8 [K/km].
II. Cloud Formation
What happens in the atmosphere when the temperature of a moist air parcel is equal to the
dew point temperature? Now, let’s put those concepts together to look at the phenomenon of
cloud formation:
7

Air parcel
Environment
6

5 Cloud top
Moist adiabatic
Altitude (km)

lapse rate = -6.5 K/km

4

Cloud
3

Environmental
2 lapse rate = -5.5 K/km

Cloud base

1
Dry adiabatic
lapse rate = -9.8 K/km

0
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30
Temperature (degrees C)
Under clear (cloudless) conditions, an air parcel is unsaturated to begin with. As it rises, it cools,
and when its temperature reaches the dew point, condensation begins. This is how clouds form.
Consider an air parcel with an initial temperature of 25 °C and a dew point temperature of
10 °C, which is embedded in an environment with a -5.5 K/km lapse rate, and the temperature
profile shown at left by the dashed line. Assume the dew point of the parcel is not changing.

III. Examples
Example 1: Grand Canyon
While you and a friend are visiting the Grand Canyon, you decide to hike down to the canyon
floor. Your friend is worried that it might be too warm or cold down there, 1,500 m below the
rim, so you offer to use your Science A- 30 knowledge to figure out exactly what the temperature
will be.

(1) Listening to the morning news, you learn that the temperature at the canyon rim is 25ºC.
Assuming that the atmospheric lapse rate is –6.5º C per kilometer, what will the temperature be
on the canyon floor?

ΔT/ΔZ =(25°C –Tfloor)/(1500m -0m)=-6.5 °C / km

Tfloor = 1.5km x 6.5 °C / km + 25 °C
=34.75 °C
(2) With an atmospheric lapse rate of –6.5º C/ km and using the adiabatic lapse rate given in
class, is the atmosphere stable, unstable or neutral?

The adiabatic lapse rate -9.8 º C/ km is more negative than the atmospheric lapse rate, in this
case the atmosphere is stable. If we give an upward little push to an air parcel, it will get to an
altitude at which its temperature is less than the temperature of the environment and therefore
the parcel is negatively buoyant and tends to go back to its initial altitude.

Example 2: Conditional Stability

5

2 Dry adiabatic lapse rate

Dew point lapse rate
Enviromental lapse rate
1
Moist lapse rate

0
240 250 260 270 280 290
Temperature (°K)

A figure tells the following information:

Dew point lapse rate = -1.5 [K/km]
Moist lapse rate = -5 [K/km]
Atmospheric lapse rate = -6.5 [K/km]
Ground starts at 1 [km]
Ground temperature = 285 [K]
Ground dew point = 280 [K]

(a) Based on the Figure above, what is the dew point on the surface?
277.6 K

(b) At what altitude would a parcel lifted from the surface reach its dew point?
1.6 km

(c) At what altitude will the atmosphere become unstable?

3 km

Example 3: Cloud Formation

(a) Will the parcel rise from the surface?
Yes! The parcel is warmer than its environment at the surface. It is less dense than the
surrounding atmosphere, and is therefore buoyant.
(b) When will the parcel hit 100% relative humidity? What is the temperature of the parcel at this
point? What is the altitude of the parcel at this point?
The parcel hits 100% relative humidity (saturates) when its temperature is equal to its dew point.
From the figure we see that this happens at 1.5 [km]. Below this point the parcel rises at the Dry
adiabatic lapse rate; above this point, it rises at a less strongly negative moist adiabatic lapse
rate.

(c) What happens beyond the saturation point?

The water vapor in the air parcel will start to condense into liquid phase. This is where clouds
start to form. Typically, this occurs at the same elevation over a region and is called the cloud
base.

(d) Will the parcel keep rising?

No, from the figure we see that at 5 km the air parcel becomes colder than its environment. This
is the cloud top. Above this point the air parcel becomes colder than its environment at the same
altitude, so the air parcel will sink.