GEOG 2110L Lecture Notes - Fluid Parcel, Stratus Cloud, Dew Point
17 Mar 2014
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Document Summary
*** stability: refers to the tendency of an air parcel, with its water vapor, either to remain in place or to change vertical position be ascending (rising) or descending (falling). * a stable parcel of air resists displacement upward or, when disturbed, tends to return to its starting place. * an unstable parcel of air continues to rise until it reaches an altitude where the surrounding air has a density & t similar to its own. 1) when an air parcel is warmer & less dense than the surrounding air, the parcel will rise: unstable air or condition. 2) when an air parcel is colder & denser than the surrounding air, it will tend to stay at the same level or sink: stable air. 3) the environmental lapse rate (elr) is the t profile of the atmosphere (air surrounding a parcel of air).
