Atmospheric Stability

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 1

 Atmospheric Stability
Atmospheric stability refers to the tendency for
air parcels to move vertically.

Atmospheric stability is defined as the

resistance of the atmosphere to vertical
motion.

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 2

 Atmospheric Stability
Basic concept – when the temperature of the air
parcel is greater than the temperature of the
surrounding environment, then it will rise, and
when the temperature of the air parcel is less
than the surrounding environment, then it will
sink.
Adiabatic - A process in which heat is neither added nor
subtracted from the system.
Diabatic - A process in which heat is added or subtracted from the
system, e.g., solar heating, radiation cooling.
Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 3
 Atmospheric stability

• Two governing factors:

– Temperature gradient (lapse rate)

– Turbulence due to wind

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 4

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 5
 Lapse Rates
Lapse rate defines the way in which temperature varies
with altitude. Lapse rates are mainly of two types:
1. The Environmental Lapse Rate (ELR) and
2. The Adiabatic Lapse Rates.
The latter comes in two flavors of its own:
A. The Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate (DALR) and
B. The Saturated Adiabatic Lapse Rate (SALR)
sometimes called The Wet Adiabatic Lapse Rate
(WALR) and sometimes it is also called The Moist
Adiabatic Lapse Rate (MALR)
just call it SALR.
Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 6
 Environmental Lapse Rate
The Environmental Lapse Rate (ELR) is the rate
at which the measured temperature of the air
in the environment outside the air parcel
decreases with height.
We send up balloons with instrument packages
called radiosondes to measure the
temperature at different levels above the
Earth’s surface.

The ELR is the actual variation of temperature with height at a

certain time and place. It varies from place to place and from
time to time so there really is no fixed rate.
Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 7
 Environmental Lapse Rate (Cont.)

zT = 200 m top TT = 18°C

zB = 100 m TB = 20°C
bottom

ELR = (TB – TT) / (zT – zB)

ELR = (20°C - 18°C) / (200 m – 100 m)
ELR = 2°C / 100 m

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 8

 The Adiabatic Lapse Rate (ALR)
The word 'adiabatic' refers to a thermodynamic
process in which heat neither enters nor leaves the
system in question. Yet temperatures drop with
altitude in the troposphere.

Why is that?

Considering the fact that no heat leaves

the system, how is it possible that air
gets cooler with altitude?
Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 9
 ---------Because Pressure Decreases With Increasing Altitude

The reason pressure is lower with altitude is due to the fact

that there are fewer 'air molecules' at altitude than there are
closer to Earth. Air becomes thinner (air molecules become
increasingly scarce) as you go up. As a result, air expands.

Since pressure decreases with elevation, rising air parcels will

expand. There will be less inward pressure relative to outward
pressure exerted on that parcel. The process of expansion
effectively takes up some internal energy of that parcel; this
energy is heat energy, therefore the result is removal of heat
translating in lower temperatures. The energy is still there (it is
neither created or destroyed). It is simply not detectable by
measuring instruments
Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 10
 ALR (Cont.)
Why does air cool when it rises?
When air rises is encounters lower pressure

p = 990 mb p = 1000 mb Momentarily, as the air

parcel rises it has a higher
pressure than the
p = 1000 mb p = 1000 mb surrounding molecules.

This mean that there is more force exerted by the

molecules inside the parcel than is being exerted by the
molecules outside the parcel and the parcel expands.

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 11

 DALR (Cont.)
In order for the parcel to expand it has to push away (displace) the surrounding
molecules. Thus, the molecules inside the parcel must use some of their
internal energy in order to do this work.

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 12

Temperature doesn't just suddenly drop. It drops at a rate
(-deg/elev) known generically as the Adiabatic Lapse Rate.

So what is this rate?

It depends on whether the air parcel ascending into the sky is

saturated or not.

If it is 'dry' (not saturated), it will rise and expand experiencing

temperature drop as heat energy is absorbed during the
expansion process.

If, on the other hand, it is saturated, then it will rise, expand

and reach its dew point temperature causing the water vapor in
it to condense on condensation nuclei
Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 13
 Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate (DALR)
Meteorologists normally assume that
unsaturated air parcels (i.e. air outside clouds)
change temperature in an adiabatic process
as they rise or sink.

The Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate (DALR) is the rate

at which an unsaturated air parcel cools as it
rises.

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 14

 DALR (Cont.)
We can compute the DALR if we use the form of
the First Law of Thermodynamics

dq = cpdT – αdp

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• First Law of Thermodynamics = 0 for adiabatic expansion

1
dq  dh  dP  C p dT  dP

• Barometric Equation
dP
  g
dZ
1
 C p dT  dP   gdZ

dT g
 
dZ Cp
Lapse Rate

Dr Arshid Jehangir
16 (Env. Sc. KU)
 so we can write our equation as
-(dT/dz) = g/cp = Γd

where Γd is the Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate.

If g = 9.8 m s-2, and cp = 1005 J kg-1 K-1,
then
Γd = (g/cp) = (9.8 m s-2)/(1005 J kg-1 K-1)

Γd = 0.0098 K m-1 ≈ 1 K / 100 m

≈ 1°C / 100 m

How much is dT/dZ if Cp = 1.0034103 m2/s2-K? What if Cp =

1.856103 m2/s2-K? (for dry air and moist air)
Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 17
 DALR (Cont.)

This means that an unsaturated air parcel rising

in a dry adiabatic process will cool 1°C for
each 100 meters it rises.

Conversely, an unsaturated parcel that is sinking

in a dry adiabatic process will be compressed
by the surrounding air, and it will warm 1°C
for each 100 meters it sinks.

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 18

 DALR (Cont.)
The dry adiabatic lapse rate is 9.8ºC per kilometer (9.8ºC/km).
This rate is constant until the air parcel in ascent becomes
saturated (reaches its dew point temperature). Once dew point
is reached (saturation), latent heat is released as a result of
condensation (gas to liquid change of state of water) and the
rate drops.

During condensation, water vapor is undergoing a phase change from

gas to liquid requiring that every gram of water vapor release 539
calories of heat energy. This heat energy is released thus lowering
the rate at which the air parcel cools as it ascends.

For example: if air cooled 10 units per 1000 feet (lost 10 units of
heat), then condensed and released 3 units of heat, then we would
subtract 3 units from the original 10 giving us a slower rate of 7
units per 1000 feet.
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 The Saturated Adiabatic Lapse Rate (SALR)
The saturated adiabatic lapse rate is variable since it largely
depends on how much latent heat is made available within the air
parcel as its moisture condenses.

Generally, the higher the parcel ascends, the greater the amount of heat
released by condensation since expansion is more pronounced (pressure
decreases with elevation). Temperature will also affect this rate. Another thing
to keep in mind is that as the parcel condenses and continues its ascent, less
and less water vapor will remain to be condensed meaning that less heat energy
will be released.

In the lower elevations the SALR varies from about 3.9ºC/1km

when ambient temperature is around 26ºC to about 7.2ºC/1km
when ambient temperature is around -10ºC.
The average SALR, which is between or at 5-6ºC/1km, is an
approximate average of the extremes.
Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 20
 SALR (Cont.)
Considering the fact that less water vapor is available for
condensation after prolonged ascent, the SALR will eventually
increase to the point where it is almost identical to the DALR
(9.8ºC/1km)! This is most likely to occur at very high elevations
where ambient temperature can drop below -40ºC!

SALR is lower than the DALR due to release of

latent heat as water vapor condenses.

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 21

 Dew Point Lapse Rate (DPLR)
DPLR :- the exact rate varies depending on atmospheric conditions, but
the range is relatively small nevertheless.

NOAA meteorologist, Thomas Schlatter, performed numerous

calculations of dew point lapse rate under various conditions and found
that values range from 1.6ºC/1km to nearly 1.9ºC/1km.

It is important to know dew point changes slightly with

altitude since it affects the level at which condensation occurs.

This level is officially termed the condensation level by

meteorologists or lifting condensation level (LCL).
Condensation level is the level at which moisture in rising air
(thermals) starts to condense and form droplets of cloud. It is
the point at which dew point temperature and air temperature
become equal. Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 22
Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 23
 Condensation level can be considered to be the boundary
delimiting areas where a thermal (warm rising air) will rise at
DALR and where it will rise at SALR.

DALR = dry adiabatic lapse rate = 9.8ºC/1km

SALR = saturated adiabatic lapse rate = 3.9ºC/1km - 7.2ºC/1km

ELR = varies from place to place and from time to time...

DPLR = 1.6ºC/1km - 1.9ºC/1km

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 24

 INVERSIONS
An inversion is where air temperature increases with altitude rather than
the normal decrease in temperature in the troposphere

An inversion is where this cooling stops, and a warming

trend with height occurs
This increase in temperature with elevation makes the atmosphere above
2,000 meters very stable. This layer, or inversion layer as it is called, acts as
a 'lid' restricting the height to which a thermal can rise. The thermal's
temperature is relatively cooler than ambient temperatures in the inversion
layer, therefore the thermal is technically denser than air in the inversion.
As such, the thermal will no longer be displaced by denser air around it and
will subsequently cease its ascent.

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Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 26
 Stability
Stable air has a tendency to resist
movement. On the other hand, unstable air
will easily rise.

In order to determine the stability of the air we

compare the Environmental Lapse Rate (ELR)
to the Adiabatic Lapse Rates (DALR).

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 Stability Conditions
Atmospheric stability comes in several "flavors". They
include

Absolute Instability,

Neutral Stability,

Conditional Instability,

Absolute Stability

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 28

 Stability Conditions
Adiabatic lapse rate
Environmental lapse rate

Dr Arshid Jehangir
29 (Env. Sc. KU)
Absolute Instability

Absolute instability occurs when ELR is

greater than DALR. We have learned that
DALR is 9.8ºC/1km, therefore we can
conclude that absolute instability exists when
ELR is 9.9ºC/1km or greater. Meteorologists
call this a "super-adiabatic lapse rate" since
heat loss with elevation is so rapid

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 Unstable Atmospheric Conditions

Under these conditions, a rising parcel of air is warmer and less

dense than the air surrounding it at any given elevation.

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 31

 Unstable Case
This situation is called the unstable case
because when air is moved vertically, it tends
to keep going in the same direction.
Unsaturated air is unstable when the ELE is
greater than the DALR.
There is a lot of vertical mixing when the air is
unstable because of all of the rising and
sinking air parcels.

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 32

 Unstable Case (Cont.)
Air is most often unstable in the afternoon
when solar radiation is absorbed by the
Earth’s surface and the ELR increases.

Air quality is usually best when air is unstable

due to all of the mixing that occurs then.

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 33

 Unsaturated air is unstable when the ELR is to the left of the DALR.
Unstable Case
400

350

300

250
Height

200

150

100 Legend
ELR
DALR
50

0
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Temperature (degrees Celsius)
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Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 35
Neutral Stability
Neutral stability occurs when ELR and DALR are equal. That is,
when ELR is 9.8ºC/1km. It is called 'neutral' because the
thermal keeps its initial momentum and does not accelerate
or slow down.

Conditional Instability
Conditional Instability occurs when ELR is less than
DALR but more than SALR. In other words, it is when
ELR is between SALR (which varies between
3.9ºC/1km to 7.2ºC/1km) and DALR (which is
9.8ºC/1km). The 'condition' for instability is only
when the thermal becomes saturated, not before.
Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 36
 Neutral Case
This situation is called the neutral case because
will not move vertically on its own, but it can
be moved vertically by external forces.
Unsaturated air is neutral when the ELR is equal
to the DALR.
Some vertical mixing occurs when air is neutral.

Air is typically neutral for periods in the

morning and evening.
Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 37
 Unsaturated air is neutral when the ELR is on the DALR.
Neutral Case
400

350

300

250
Height

200

150

100 Legend
ELR
DALR
50

0
11.0 11.5 12.0 12.5 13.0 13.5 14.0 14.5 15.0
Temperature (degrees Celsius)
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Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 39
Absolute Stability
Absolute stability occurs when ELR is less than SALR (and
therefore less than DALR). This means that ELR must be lower
than SALR (which varies between 3.9ºC/1km and 7.2ºC/1km)
which will never be more than 7.1ºC/1km (if SALR is at its
maximum).

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 40

 Stable Case
This situation is called the stable case because
air does not tend to move vertically.
Stable air parcels tend to return to their original
levels.
Unsaturated air is unstable whenever the
ELR is less than the DALR.

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 41

 Stable Case (Cont.)
There is little vertical mixing when air is stable
and air quality tends to be worse when stable
conditions exist.

Air is stable most often at night when the

cooling of the Earth’s surface decreases the
ELR.

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 Unsaturated sir is stable when the ELR is to the right of the DALR.
Stable case
400

350

300
Height (m)

250

200

150

100 Legend
ELR
DALR
50

0
11.0 11.5 12.0 12.5 13.0 13.5 14.0 14.5 15.0
Temperature (degrees Celsius)
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Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 44
 Temperature Inversions
A temperature inversion exists when the
temperature of the environmental air
increases with height, which is the opposite
(i.e. the inverse) of the pattern we normally
observe in the troposphere.
A temperature inversion is an extremely stable
situation.

Dr Arshid Jehangir (Env. Sc. KU) 45

 Temperature inversion
400

350

300

250
Height

200

150

100 Legend
ELR
DALR
50

0
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Temperature (degrees Celsius)
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