Knowledge (XXG)

Convective instability

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convection. There is a major limitation of this measure of stability however, which is that it does not take the thermodynamic properties (saturation mixing ratio and therefore the shape of adiabats in the lower troposphere) of the air into account. A more refined measure of stability has since been developed, named the estimated inversion strength, which pays closer attention to the thermodynamic properties of the air in the lower troposphere.
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is released into the air parcel. Moist air has more water vapor than dry air, so more latent heat is released into the parcel of moist air as it rises. Dry air does not have as much water vapor, therefore dry air cools at a higher rate with vertical movement than moist air. As a result of the latent
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and temperature determine the stability of the air and the resulting weather. Cool, dry air is very stable and resists vertical movement, which leads to good and generally clear weather. The greatest instability occurs when the air is moist and warm, as it is in the tropical regions in the summer.
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When air rises, moist air in which condensation has occurred cools at a lower rate than dry air (including moist air in which condensation has not yet occurred). That is, for the same upwards vertical movement and starting temperature, a parcel of moist air will be warmer than a parcel of dry air.
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that caps the planetary boundary layer on earth, and also indicates the level of convective stability of an air column at a given location. Regions with negative LTS have a larger potential temperature on the surface than in the mid-troposphere, which makes the air column unstable and encourages
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cooling and heating are phenomena of rising or descending air. Rising air expands and cools due to the decrease in air pressure as altitude increases. The opposite is true of descending air; as
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heat that is released during water vapor condensation, moist air has a relatively lower adiabatic lapse rate than dry air. This makes moist air generally less stable than dry air (see
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The adiabatic lapse rate is the rate at which the temperature of a rising or falling air mass lowers or increases per distance of vertical displacement. The ambient or
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The ambient lapse rate differs in different meteorological conditions, but, on average, is 2 °C (3.6 °F) per 1,000 vertical feet (300 m).
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of descending air increases as it is compressed. Adiabatic heating and adiabatic cooling are terms used to describe this temperature change.
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is the temperature change in the (non-displaced) air per vertical distance. Instability results from difference between the
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Lower tropospheric stability (commonly referred to as LTS) is a meteorological parameter that is commonly used in
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Typically, thunderstorms appear on a daily basis in these regions due to the instability of the surrounding air.
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relative to the atmosphere. As cooler air is more dense, the rise of such an airmass would tend to be resisted.
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relative to the atmosphere. As warmer air is less dense, such an air mass would tend to continue to rise.
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Convective Instability, denoted in the red highlighted region ("positive area"), on a
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It was first introduced as a simple but useful measure of the strength of the
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rapidly than the air in which it is moving. Hence, such an air mass becomes
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rapidly than the air in which it is moving. Hence, such an airmass becomes
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in the air parcel due to expansion cooling. As water vapor condenses,
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makes vertical movement difficult, and small vertical disturbances
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Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate, Revised Edition, 2-Volume Set
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than the ambient lapse rate, an air mass displaced upward cools
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than the ambient lapse rate, an air mass displaced upward cools
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of an air mass and the ambient lapse rate in the atmosphere.
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10.1175/1520-0442(1993)006<1587:TSCOLS>2.0.CO;2
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Wood, Robert; Bretherton, Christopher S. (December 2006).
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For a more general discussion of the same phenomenon, see
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Klein, Stephen A.; Hartmann, Dennis L. (August 1993).
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of an air parcel at the 700 hPa pressure level, and
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Sonlight Christian -m. pp. 435–436. 155:Conversely, if the adiabatic lapse rate is 567: 553: 545: 409:Allaby, Michael; Garratt, Richard (2007). 392:United States Department of Transportation 387:Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge 517: 461: 312: 306: 281: 275: 249: 236: 218: 370: 186:convective available potential energy 32:Convective available potential energy 7: 671:Convective condensation level (CCL) 877:Equivalent potential temperature ( 25: 729:Conditional symmetric instability 575:Meteorological data and variables 358:Conditional symmetric instability 99:, extensive vertical clouds, and 676:Lifting condensation level (LCL) 661:Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) 396:Federal Aviation Administration 140:If the adiabatic lapse rate is 924:Wet-bulb potential temperature 766:Level of free convection (LFC) 1: 1011:Severe weather and convection 967:Pressure-gradient force (PGF) 889:Sea surface temperature (SST) 724:Convective momentum transport 398:. 2016. pp. 12–12–12–13. 290:{\displaystyle \theta _{700}} 781:Bulk Richardson number (BRN) 203:Lower tropospheric stability 985:Maximum potential intensity 751:Free convective layer (FCL) 714:Convective inhibition (CIN) 321:{\displaystyle \theta _{0}} 1027: 1006:Atmospheric thermodynamics 919:Wet-bulb globe temperature 776:Maximum parcel level (MPL) 37:This article incorporates 36: 29: 899:Thermodynamic temperature 833:Forest fire weather index 83:out and disappear. In an 18:Instability (meteorology) 821:Equivalent temperature ( 734:Convective temperature ( 618:Surface weather analysis 131:environmental lapse rate 868:Potential temperature ( 613:Surface solar radiation 171:This is because of the 858:Relative humidity (RH) 746:Equilibrium level (EL) 719:Convective instability 322: 291: 262: 62:convective instability 53: 346:Free convective layer 323: 299:potential temperature 292: 263: 47: 947:Atmospheric pressure 914:Wet-bulb temperature 816:Dry-bulb temperature 811:Dew point depression 305: 274: 217: 135:adiabatic lapse rate 120:atmospheric pressure 50:Skew-T log-P diagram 909:Virtual temperature 894:Temperature anomaly 588:Adiabatic processes 510:2006JCli...19.6425W 454:1993JCli....6.1587K 209:atmospheric physics 191:The combination of 681:Precipitable water 519:10.1175/JCLI3988.1 498:Journal of Climate 442:Journal of Climate 318: 287: 258: 89:orographic lifting 54: 993: 992: 962:Pressure gradient 771:Lifted index (LI) 504:(24): 6425–6432. 16:(Redirected from 1018: 569: 562: 555: 546: 539: 538: 536: 534: 521: 489: 483: 482: 480: 478: 465: 448:(8): 1587–1606. 433: 427: 426: 406: 400: 399: 383: 379:"Weather Theory" 375: 327: 325: 324: 319: 317: 316: 296: 294: 293: 288: 286: 285: 267: 265: 264: 259: 254: 253: 241: 240: 21: 1026: 1025: 1021: 1020: 1019: 1017: 1016: 1015: 996: 995: 994: 989: 971: 933: 883: 827: 805: 785: 740: 695: 642: 576: 573: 543: 542: 532: 530: 491: 490: 486: 476: 474: 435: 434: 430: 423: 408: 407: 403: 381: 377: 376: 372: 367: 342: 308: 303: 302: 277: 272: 271: 245: 232: 215: 214: 205: 122:increases, the 113: 42: 35: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 1024: 1022: 1014: 1013: 1008: 998: 997: 991: 990: 988: 987: 981: 979: 973: 972: 970: 969: 964: 959: 954: 949: 943: 941: 935: 934: 932: 931: 926: 921: 916: 911: 906: 904:Vapor pressure 901: 896: 891: 886: 881: 874: 865: 860: 855: 850: 845: 840: 835: 830: 825: 818: 813: 808: 803: 795: 793: 787: 786: 784: 783: 778: 773: 768: 763: 758: 753: 748: 743: 738: 731: 726: 721: 716: 711: 705: 703: 697: 696: 694: 693: 688: 683: 678: 673: 668: 663: 658: 652: 650: 644: 643: 641: 640: 635: 630: 625: 620: 615: 610: 605: 600: 595: 590: 584: 582: 578: 577: 574: 572: 571: 564: 557: 549: 541: 540: 484: 428: 421: 401: 369: 368: 366: 363: 362: 361: 355: 349: 341: 338: 315: 311: 284: 280: 257: 252: 248: 244: 239: 235: 231: 228: 225: 222: 204: 201: 112: 109: 101:severe weather 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1023: 1012: 1009: 1007: 1004: 1003: 1001: 986: 983: 982: 980: 978: 974: 968: 965: 963: 960: 958: 957:Barotropicity 955: 953: 950: 948: 945: 944: 942: 940: 936: 930: 927: 925: 922: 920: 917: 915: 912: 910: 907: 905: 902: 900: 897: 895: 892: 890: 887: 885: 880: 875: 873: 871: 866: 864: 861: 859: 856: 854: 851: 849: 846: 844: 841: 839: 836: 834: 831: 829: 824: 819: 817: 814: 812: 809: 807: 802: 797: 796: 794: 792: 788: 782: 779: 777: 774: 772: 769: 767: 764: 762: 759: 757: 754: 752: 749: 747: 744: 742: 737: 732: 730: 727: 725: 722: 720: 717: 715: 712: 710: 707: 706: 704: 702: 698: 692: 689: 687: 686:Precipitation 684: 682: 679: 677: 674: 672: 669: 667: 664: 662: 659: 657: 654: 653: 651: 649: 645: 639: 636: 634: 631: 629: 626: 624: 621: 619: 616: 614: 611: 609: 606: 604: 601: 599: 596: 594: 591: 589: 586: 585: 583: 579: 570: 565: 563: 558: 556: 551: 550: 547: 529: 525: 520: 515: 511: 507: 503: 499: 495: 488: 485: 473: 469: 464: 459: 455: 451: 447: 443: 439: 432: 429: 424: 422:9780816063505 418: 414: 413: 405: 402: 397: 393: 389: 388: 380: 374: 371: 364: 359: 356: 353: 350: 347: 344: 343: 339: 337: 334: 329: 313: 309: 300: 282: 278: 268: 255: 250: 246: 242: 237: 233: 229: 226: 223: 220: 212: 210: 202: 200: 197: 194: 189: 187: 182: 178: 174: 168: 166: 162: 158: 153: 151: 147: 143: 138: 136: 132: 127: 125: 121: 117: 110: 108: 106: 105:thunderstorms 102: 98: 94: 90: 86: 82: 78: 75: 71: 67: 63: 59: 51: 46: 40: 33: 19: 878: 869: 863:Mixing ratio 838:Haines Index 822: 800: 735: 718: 648:Condensation 533:22 September 531:. 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Index

Instability (meteorology)
Convective available potential energy
public domain text created by the US government

Skew-T log-P diagram
meteorology
air mass
atmosphere
dampen
orographic lifting
convective
turbulence
severe weather
thunderstorms
Adiabatic
atmospheric pressure
temperature
environmental lapse rate
adiabatic lapse rate
condensation
water vapor
latent heat
convective available potential energy
moisture
atmospheric physics
potential temperature
inversion
Free convective layer
Lifted index
Conditional symmetric instability

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