PHYS4652 Planetary Science

Assignment # 3

Due Date: Thurs. Apr. 14, 2022

1. The dry adiabatic lapse rate is derived from the equation of hydrostatic equilibrium and
the thermodynamic relation cP dT = dP/ρ for an adiabatic process in an ideal gas.

(a) The internal energy U of an ideal gas is a function of temperature only (i.e., U = f (T )).
Show from the first law of thermodynamics and the specific volume V for an ideal gas
containing one gram of molecules that

mgm (cP − cV ) = Rgas .

(b) Show that cP dT = dP/ρ for an adiabatic process with dQ = 0.

(c) Calculate the dry adiabatic lapse rates (in K km−1 ) in the Earth’s lower troposphere
by assuming that T = 280 K, P = 1 bar, the composition is 80% N2 and 20% O2 , and
making a reasonable guess for the value of γ.

(d) Determine cP from the dry adiabatic lapse rate.

2. Calculate the wet adiabatic lapse rate (in K km−1 ) in the Earth’s lower troposphere
assuming that T = 280 K and P = 1 bar. Note that you have calculated the mean molecular
weight µa , the specific heat capacity cP , and the dry adiabatic lapse rate in Question 1.

(a) Calculate the saturation vapor pressure of water using the Clausius-Clapeyron relation
with CL = 3 × 107 bar and LS = 5.1 × 1011 erg mole−1 .

(b) As the concentration of water in a saturated atmosphere decreases with height much
more rapidly than the total pressure, estimate the value of ws (grams of water vapor
condensing out per gram of air) by multiplying the value of the partial pressure of
water in bars by the ratio of the molecular mass of water to the mean molecular mass
of air.
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(c) Estimate the wet adiabatic lapse rate. (Hint: Write wS as a function of temperature
using part (b).)

3. Consider a system with two components A and B, where the (molar) Gibbs free energies of
solid and liquid at temperature T0 are shown below. If we start with a liquid of composition
XB0 and cool it to T0 , we stated in class that the system would split into a solid of composition
XBS and a liquid of composition XBL , where XBS and XBL are on the tangent line touching the
Gibbs free energy of solid and liquid. What is the Gibbs free energy of the system? Where
does this fall on the vertical line at XB0 ? Explain why this is the lowest Gibbs free energy
state.

4. Calculate the typical recycling time of the Earth’s crust based upon the motion of one
lithospheric plate over the Earth’s surface, if the plate moves, on average, at a speed of
6 cm yr−1 . How would your answer change if there are several plates moving over the surface?