indicated by changes of lapse rate with height. (Seetable 2-1 and fig. 2-8.)DRY ADIABATIC LAPSE RATE.—If a parcelof air is lifted, its pressure is DECREASED, sincepressure decreases with height, and its temperature fallsdue to the expansion. If the air is dry and the process isadiabatic, the rate of temperature fall is 1°C per100 meters of lift (10°C per Kin), or 5 l/2°F per 1,000feet of lift. If that parcel descends again to higherpressure, its temperature then INCREASES at the rateof 1°C per 100 meters or 5 1/2°F per 1,000 feet. This isknown as the dry adiabatic lapse rate.MOIST (SATURATION) ADIABATIC LAPSERATE.—When a mass of air is lifted, it cools at the dryadiabatic lapse rate of 5 1/2°F per 1,000 feet as long asit remains unsaturated (relative humidity below 100percent). If the original moisture is being carried alongwith the mass as it ascends and it cools to its saturationtemperature, the relative humidity reaches 100 percent.Condensation takes place with further cooling. Foreach gram of water condensed, about 597 calories ofheat are liberated. This latent heat of condensation isabsorbed by the air, and the adiabatic cooling rate isdecreased to 20 to 3°F per 1,000 feet instead of 5 1/2°Fper 1,000 feet. The process during the saturatedexpansion of the air is called the saturation adiabatic,the moist adiabatic, or the pseudoadiabatic process.The pseudoadiabatic process assumes that moisturefalls out of the air as soon as it condenses.Assume that a saturated parcel of air having atemperature of 44°F is at 5,000 feet and is forced over a12,000-foot mountain. Condensation occurs from5,000 to 12,000 feet so that the parcel cools at the moistadiabatic rate (3°F per 1,000 ft) and reaches atemperature of approximately 23°F at the top of themountain. Assuming that the condensation in the formof precipitation has fallen out of the air during theascent, the parcel heats at the dry adiabatic rate as itdescends to the other side of the mountain. When itreaches the 5,000-foot level, the parcel has descended7,000 feet at a rate of 5 1/2°F per 1,000 feet. This resultsin an increase of 38.5°F. Adding the 38.5°F increase tothe original 12,000 feet temperature of 23°F, the parcelhas a new temperature of 61.5°F.AVERAGE ADIABATIC LAPSE RATE.—Theaverage lapse rate lies between the dry adiabatic and themoist adiabatic at about 3.3°F per 1,000 feet.SUPERADIABATIC LAPSE RATE.—Thesuperadiabatic lapse rate is a decrease in temperature ofmore than 5 1/2°F per 1,000 feet and less than 15°F per1,000 feet.AUTOCONVECTIVE LAPSE RATE.—Theautoconvective lapse rate is the decrease of more than15°F per 1,000 feet. This lapse rate is rare and is usuallyconfined to shallow layers.2-15AG5t0201Lapse rate Per 1,000feetPer 100metersDry adiabaticSaturation (moist)adiabaticAverageSuperadiabaticAutoconvective5 1/2 F2-3 F3.3 F5 1/2-15 FMore than15 F1 C.55 C.65 C1-3.42 CMore than3.42 CTable 2-1.—Lapse Rates of TemperatureMOISTADIABATICAVERAGELAPSERATE"DRY"ADIABATICSUPERADIABATICAUTOCONVECTIVEAG5f0208Figure 2-8.—Adiabatic lapse rates.
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