Thermodynamics and Atmospheric Stability Flashcards
6 cards from real AMS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Thermodynamics and Atmospheric Stability flashcards as text
What does the dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR) represent?
Answer: Rate at which unsaturated air cools as it rises (≈9.8°C/km)
The DALR (~9.8°C/km) is the rate at which a dry (unsaturated) air parcel cools as it rises adiabatically.
What is the Lifted Index (LI) used to assess?
Answer: Atmospheric stability and convective potential
The Lifted Index measures stability by comparing the temperature of a lifted parcel to the environment at 500 hPa; negative values indicate instability.
What is the Level of Free Convection (LFC)?
Answer: The level where a lifted parcel becomes warmer than the environment and rises freely
The LFC is the altitude where a lifted parcel's temperature first exceeds the environmental temperature, allowing free convective ascent.
CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) is measured in which units?
Answer: Joules per kilogram (J/kg)
CAPE is expressed in J/kg and represents the positive buoyant energy available to a rising parcel of air.
A temperature inversion in the lower atmosphere refers to what condition?
Answer: Temperature increasing with height rather than decreasing
An inversion occurs when temperature increases with altitude, creating a stable layer that suppresses vertical mixing.
Equivalent potential temperature (theta-e) is conserved in which atmospheric process?
Answer: Both dry and moist (saturated) adiabatic processes
Theta-e is conserved during both dry and moist adiabatic processes, making it useful for tracing air masses through phase changes.