The Saturated Adiabatic

Lapse Rate
Temperature Changes and
Stability Inside Clouds
 Temperature Changes Inside
Clouds
Two processes occur simultaneously inside
clouds that affect the temperature.
(1) Rising air expands, does work and
cools;
(2) Condensation releases latent energy
which is then stored as internal
energy and warms the air inside the
cloud.
 Temperature Changes Inside
Clouds (Cont.)
Normally, the cooling due to the work of
expansion is greater than the warming
associated with the release of latent
energy and its conversion to internal
energy.
 Temperature Changes Inside
Clouds (Cont.)
Thus, as air rises inside a cloud it still gets
colder, but it does so at a slower rate than
the Dry Adiabatic Lapse rate.

The rate at which rising air inside a cloud

cools is called the Saturated Adiabatic
Lapse Rate (SALR).
 The Saturated Adiabatic Lapse
Rate (SALR)
The derivation of the equation for the SALR
begins with a form of the First Law of
Thermodynamics

dq = cpdT - αdp
 The SALR (Cont.)
In this case the energy gained, dq, is equal
to the latent energy released when water
vapor condenses inside the cloud.

dq = -Lvdqv
where
Lv is the latent heat of vaporization, and
dqv is the change of specific humidity of the
air parcel when water vapor condenses
 The SALR (Cont.)
Substitute for dq in the First Law of
thermodynamics to get

-Lvdqv = cpdT – αdp

Add –cpdT + Lvdqv to both sides to get

 The SALR (Cont.)
-cpdT = -αdp + Lvdqv

Divide by cpdz to get

-cpdT = -αdp + Lvdqv

cpdz cpdz cpdz

Since α = 1/ρ we can write this as

 The SALR (Cont.)
-dT = - 1 dp + Lvdqv
dz cpρ dz cpdz

From the hydrostatic approximation

-1 dp = g
ρ dz
 The SALR (Cont.)
Substitution results in

-dT = g + LvdqV = Γs
dz cp cp dz
cooling warming due to
SALR = due to
work of + latent energy
released during
expansion condensation
 The SALR (Cont.)
The SALR is always less than the DALR
because the cooling caused by
adiabatic expansion is partially offest
by the release of latent energy during
condensation.
 The SALR (Cont.)
The SALR is a variable.

The magnitude of the SALR is

determined by the amount of water
vapor that condenses.
 The SALR (Cont.)
When warm moist air rises in a cloud, more
water vapor condenses and the SALR is
smaller.

When cooler, drier air rises inside a cloud,

less water vapor condenses and the
SALR is larger.
 SALR = 0.5°C/ 100 m
more water
vapor
less water condenses
SALR =
0.9°C/100m vapor
condenses

cooler drier air warmer moister air

 Saturated air rises
inside the cloud and
the release of latent
energy during
condensation causes
it to cool at the SALR
Lifting
Condensation
Level (LCL)

Unsaturated air rises and

cools at the DALR
 Stability Cases for Clouds
(1) When the ELR is greater than the SALR,
then the air inside the cloud is unstable.
Unstable air moves vertically and we tend
to get tall, vertical clouds like cumulus
and cumulonimbus.
Stability Cases for Clouds (Cont.)

cumumlo-
nimbus

cumulus
 Stability Cases for Clouds (Cont.)
(2) When the ELR is equal to the SALR,
then the air inside the cloud is neutral.

(3) When the ELR is less than the SALR,

then the air inside the cloud is stable.
 Stability Cases for Clouds (Cont.)
There is much less vertical motion when air
is neutral or stable. Thus, when air inside
the clouds is neutral or stable, the clouds
tend to have a flat, layered appearance.
These types of layered clouds are called
stratus clouds.
Stability Cases for Clouds (Cont.)

stratus
 Stability Cases for Clouds (Cont.)
There is a special stability case that occurs
when the Environmental Lapse Rate is
between the Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate
and the Saturated Adiabatic Lapse Rate.
 Stability Cases for Clouds (Cont.)
For example, what if
DALR = 1.00°C/100 m
ELR = 0.75°C/100 m
SALR = 0.50°C/100 m

If the air is unsaturated ELR < DALR and

the air is stable, but if the air is saturated,
then ELR > SALR and the air is unstable.
 Stability Cases for Clouds (Cont.)
This special case is called conditionally
unstable, because the air must be lifted
until it becomes saturated in order for it to
become unstable
DALR = 1°C/100 m
ELR = 0.75°C/100 m
SALR = 0.5°C/100 m

2000 m T = 14°C, Td = 14°C Tenv = 13°C

Air is unstable
1600 m T = 16°C, Td = 16°C Tenv = 16°C
Air is neutral
T = 20C°, Td = 20°C Tenv = 22°C
LCL = 800 m
Air is stable

0000 m T = 28°C, Td = 20°C Tenv = 28°C

 Stability Cases in Clouds (Cont.)
When the atmosphere is conditionally
unstable it can lead to the rapid
development of thunderstorms when a
cold front or other weather feature lifts
warm moist air in the spring.
 Stability Cases in Clouds (Cont.)
The air is stable as long as it isn’t lifted high
enough, but if it is lifted until the parcel is
warmer than the environment, then the air
instantaneously becomes unstable and
starts rising on its own.

Then thunderstorms can form rapidly.

 The Effect of Topography on
Precipitation Patterns
Precipitation patterns in mountainous
regions tend to be closely related to the
prevailing wind direction.

Much higher precipitation amounts fall on

the side of the mountains where the air is
rising and it is much drier on the side
where the air is sinking.
 The Effect of Topography on
Precipitation Patterns (Cont.)
The process where air is forced to rise up
the side of a mountain is sometimes called
orographic lifting.
Windward side Leeward side

wind direction

T = 6°C, Td = 6°C
3000 m

Air sinks and warms at

Air rises and cools at the DALR = 1°C/100 m
SALR = 0.5°C/ 100 m

Air is warm and dry

T = 16°C, Td = 16°C LCL 1000 m

T = 31°C, Td = 6°C
500 m
T = 26°C, Td = 16°C
Air rises and
cools at
0 meters DALR
 The Effect of Topography on
Precipitation Patterns (Cont.)
Rising motion causes clouds and
precipitation on the windward side of the
mountain range.
Sinking motion causes warm, dry conditions
on the leeward side of the mountain.
The dry area on the leeward side of the
mountain is called the rain shadow.
 The Effect of Topography on
Precipitation Patterns (Cont.)
Since the prevailing wind direction in the
middle latitudes is from the west, the
western sides of the mountains along the
west coast of the U.S. are the rainy sides
and the rain shadows occur along the
eastern slopes of the mountains.