ADIABATIC PROCESSES

STABILITY AND INSTABILITY

 Condensation, thunderstorms, cyclonic and anticyclonic conditions etc. depend on Adiabatic Lapse
Rate. Adiabatic Lapse Rate determines the Rate of Condensation and the rate of condensation determines
the amount of Latent Heat of Condensation Released.

Lapse Rate

• Lapse rate is rate of change in temperature observed while moving upward through the Earth’s atmosphere
(troposphere to be specific).

• The lapse rate is considered positive when the temperature decreases with elevation, zero when the
temperature is constant with elevation, and negative when the temperature increases with
elevation (temperature inversion).

• The lapse rate of non-rising air (commonly known as the normal or Environmental Lapse Rate) is highly
variable, being affected by radiation, convection, and condensation; it averages about 6.4°C per
kilometer in the lower atmosphere (troposphere).
Why does temperature fall with elevation?

When we move up a hill, we notice a fall in temperature. This fall in temperature with elevation is
primarily due to two reasons.

1. With increase in elevation, the atmospheric pressure falls. Fall in pressure implies that the temperature
also falls [Pressure is directly proportional to Temperature and vice versa]

2. With increase in elevation, the concentration of greenhouse gases decrease (Water vapor and carbon
dioxide fall sharply with elevation). Hence the heat absorption capacity of atmosphere will also decrease.

 This sort of fall in temperature with elevation is called Temperature Lapse and the rate at which it
happens is called Temperature Lapse Rate or simply Lapse rate.
Adiabatic Lapse Rate / Adiabatic Temperature Change
▪ Normal Lapse rate is the rate of fall in temperature of atmosphere with elevation.

▪ But, this normal lapse rate is for the still and calm air.

▪ Adiabatic Lapse Rate is the rate of fall in temperature of a rising or a falling air parcel adiabatically.

▪ Adiabatic or adiabatically: Heat doesn’t enter or leave the system. All temperature changes are internal.

▪ When the ascending parcel of air expands its temperature and pressure decreases

▪ While, when the descending parcel of air compressed its temperature and pressure rises.

▪ Both ascending and descending temperature changes occur without any heat exchange b/w the vertically
moving parcel of air and the surrounding environment.

▪ Hence, change in temperature without any addition or subtraction of heat from moving parcel of air is
called Adiabatic Temperature Change or adiabatic lapse rate.
▪ Adiabatic Lapse rate is governed by Gas law.

▪ Gas Law: Pressure ‘P’ is directly proportional to Temperature ‘T’ when Volume ‘V’ is a constant (example
of blowing of air in a balloon, which is the example of non-adiabatic process as there is a exchange of heat:
conduction, terrestrial radiation etc.).

Adiabatic Process: A Parcel of Rising or Falling Air

▪ An air bubble rises in water whereas stone sinks. This is obvious. The stone is denser (heavier than water)
and it sinks whereas the air bubble is less denser (lighter than water) and it rises.

▪ Similarly, a parcel of air rises when it is less denser than the surrounding environment and it falls when its
density becomes greater than the surrounding environment.
Adiabatic Process in a Parcel of Rising Air

▪ When an air parcel is subjected to differential heating compared to the surrounding air, it becomes lighter or heavier
depending on whether the air parcel is heated or cooled.

▪ When an air parcel receives more heat than the surrounding air, its temperature increases leading to an increase in volume.
The air parcel becomes lighter than the surrounding air and it starts to rise. This process is non-adiabatic.

▪ But when the air parcel starts to rise, the ambient pressure on it starts to fall. With the fall in ambient pressure, the
temperature falls and the volume increases. This is adiabatic as there is no heat exchange between the air parcel and the
external environment. All the temperature changes are internal. 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.

▪ Lapse Rate: fall in temperature with height.

▪ Adiabatic Lapse Rate: Fall in temperature in a rising parcel of air without losing any internal heat]
Adiabatic Process in a Parcel of Falling Air

▪ An air parcels falls to the lower levels of troposphere when it is cooled sufficiently.

▪ When an air parcel is in the upper levels, it gets cooled due to lower temperatures (Lapse Rate). It’s volume
falls and it’s density increases. When it becomes more denser than the surroundings, it starts to fall.

▪ This also happens when an air parcel is in contact with cooler surfaces like mountain slopes.

▪ The beginning of fall is a non-adiabatic process as there is an exchange of heat between the air parcel and the
surrounding environment.

▪ But, when an air parcel is falling, the 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.

In nutshell,

▪ 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 Adiabatic Lapse Rate

▪ The Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate (DALR) is the rate of fall in temperature with altitude for a parcel of
dry or unsaturated air rising under adiabatic conditions.

▪ Unsaturated air has less than 100% relative humidity.

▪ When a rising air parcel has little moisture, condensation during upliftment is low, the latent heat of
condensation released is low [Less additional heat from inside].

▪ As a result, the fall in temperature with height is greater compared to Adiabatic Lapse Rate (normal
parcel of air).

▪ The dry adiabatic lapse rate for the Earth’s atmosphere equals 8° C per kilometre.

▪ Dry Adiabatic Lapse rate is mainly associated with stable conditions [because it has less moisture]
Wet Adiabatic Lapse Rate

▪ When an air parcel that is saturated with water vapour rises, some of the vapour will condense and release
latent heat [Additional Heat from inside]. This process causes the parcel to cool more slowly than it would if it
were not saturated.

▪ The moist adiabatic lapse rate varies considerably because the amount of water vapour in the air is highly
variable. The greater the amount of vapour, the smaller the adiabatic lapse rate [because the condensation
process keeps on adding more latent heat of condensation]. On an average it is taken as 4° C per kilometre.

▪ Wet Adiabatic Lapse rate is mainly associated with unstable conditions [because it has more moisture].

▪ As an air parcel rises and cools, it may eventually lose its moisture through condensation; its lapse rate then
increases and approaches the dry adiabatic value.
Significance of Adiabatic Lapse Rate in Meteorology

▪ 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.

▪ For this reason, the lapse rate is of prime importance to meteorologists in forecasting certain types of
cloud formations, the incidence of thunderstorms, and the intensity of atmospheric turbulence.
Weather conditions at different Adiabatic Lapse Rates

1. LR (Lapse Rate)= Average Adiabatic Lapse Rate of entire atmosphere = 6.4°C/km [ALR of a place may be
greater than or lesser than the Lapse Rate of atmosphere, i.e., it may be less than or greater than 6.4 °C/km]

2. If ALR at a place is greater than 6.4 °C/km (Normal lapse rate) then it is called DALR = Less moisture than
normal = more stable than normal.

3. If ALR at a place is lesser than 6.4 °C/km (Normal Lapse Rate) then it is called WALR = More moisture
than normal = less stable than normal or instability.

 Absolute stability: ALR (at a place) > DALR == Little moisture in the air parcel == It won’t rain

 Conditional stability: WALR < ALR < DALR == Normal moisture conditions == It may or may not rain

 Absolute instability: ALR (at a place) < WALR == Excess moisture in the air parcel == It will rain
violently.
Absolute stability of Atmosphere: ALR (at a place) > DALR

▪ The above condition simply means that there is little moisture in air.

▪ When there is little moisture, condensation of water vapour is low, so latent of condensation released
will be low, and the rising parcel of air gets cold quickly, and it falls to the ground once it becomes
denser.

▪ So there will be no cloud formation and hence there will be no rain (thunderstorms).

▪ This simply means that the atmospheric condition is stable.

Conditional stability: WALR < ALR < DALR

▪ The above condition simply means that there is enough moisture in air and there are chances of thunderstorms.

▪ When there is considerable moisture in the air parcel, condensation of water vapour will be reasonably high, so
latent of condensation released will be adequate to drive a thunderstorm. The occurrence of thunderstorm
depends on external factors. So the weather will be associated with conditional stability (it may rain or it may
not rain)
Absolute instability: ALR (at a place) < WALR

▪ The above condition simply means that there is more moisture in air and there will be thunderstorms.

▪ When there is unusually high moisture in the air parcel, condensation of water vapour will be very high, so
latent of condensation released will be great enough to drive a violent thunderstorm. So the weather will be
associated with absolute instability.