Chapter 6 - Stability and Cloud Development

Index of Lecture Notes

• introduction to cloud development and atmospheric stability
• the concept of stability
• the concept of instability
• introduction to atmospheric stability
• the bottom line for rising/sinking parcels
• rising air parcel - adiabatic cooling
• sinking air parcel - adiabatic warming
• dry adiabatic lapse rate:
  • ascending unsaturated parcel at surface
  • temp at 1km
  • temp at 2km - it saturates
• moist adiabatic lapse rate:
  • temp at 3 km - saturated parcel
  • temp at 4 km
• dry versus moist adiabatic processes
• Different Stability Cases:
  • absolute stability
  • inversion layers
  • how to form stable layers
  • subsidence inversions
  • absolute instability
  • conditional instability
    • conditional instability - example - surface
    • conditional instability - example - 1 km
    • conditional instability - example - 2 km
    • conditional instability - example - 3 km
    • conditional instability - example - 4 km
    • conditional instability - example - 5 km
• assessing the stability of the environment
• methods to destabilize the environment
• methods to destabilize the environment, cont
• stability and observed cloud development - what determines cloud base and cloud top?
• stability and observed cloud development - what determines cloud base and cloud top - example
• Interactive sounding illustrating cloud development
• lifting mechanisms - introduction
  • convection
    • stable environment
    • shallow conditionally unstable environment
    • deep conditionally unstable environment
  • topographical lifting
    • wave clouds
  • frontal lifting
  • convergence
• Review Questions
• SAMPLE TEST QUESTIONS FOR CH 6
• CH 7 HOMEWORK:  NOTES | PROBLEMS