Lapse Rate and Plume Behaviour

LAPSE RATE &
PLUME BEHAVIOUR
Dr. Vikas .B. Varekar

V.J.T.I Mumbai
LAPSE RATE
• Rate of change in temperature
observed while moving upward
through the Earth’s atmosphere.
• The lapse rate is considered
positive when the temperature
decreases with elevation, zero
when the temperature is constant
with elevation, and negative when
the temperature increases with
elevation (temperature inversion).
• The lapse rate is the negative of
the rate of temperature change
with altitude change:
• The lapse rate given in units of

temperature divided by units of
altitude, T is temperature, and A is
altitude
Lapse Rate = - dT
dA
• Types :
1. Wet and dry adiabatic lapse rate
2. Environmental lapse rate
3. Standard temperature lapse rate
Adiabatic Lapse Rate
• An adiabatic condition is a condition
where no heat exchange occurs
between the given system and its
surroundings.
• The adiabatic lapse rate is the rate at
which the temperature of an air
parcel changes in response to the
compression or expansion
associated with elevation change
under adiabatic conditions.
• There are two adiabatic lapse rates,
namely,
1. Dry adiabatic lapse rate
2. Moist adiabatic lapse rate
Dry adiabatic lapse rate
• The dry adiabatic lapse rate for air depends only on the specific heat capacity
of air at constant pressure and the acceleration due to gravity.
• The dry adiabatic lapse rate for the Earth’s atmosphere equals 9.8°C per
kilometer. Thus, the temperature of an air parcel that ascends or descends 2
km would fall or rise 19.6 °C respectively.
Moist adiabatic lapse rate

• When an air parcel that is saturated with water vapour rises, some of the
vapor will condense and release latent heat. This process causes the parcel
to cool more slowly than it would if it were not saturated. Therefore, this rate
would be lesser than the dry adiabatic lapse rate.
• The moist adiabatic lapse rate varies considerably because the amount of
water vapour in the air is highly variable. The greater the amount of vapour,
the smaller the adiabatic lapse rate.
Environmental Lapse Rate
• The environmental lapse rate also called normal lapse rate, is
the lapse rate of non-rising air. It is highly variable. It is affected
by radiation, convection, and condensation. Its value is
approximately equal to 6.5°C per kilometer in the lower
atmosphere.
PLUME BEHAVIOUR
• Plume refers to the path and extent in the atmosphere of the gaseous
effluents released from a source usually a stack (chimney).
• The behavior of a plume emitted from any stack depends on localized
air stability. The Geometric forms of stack plumes are a function of
the vertical temperature and wind profiles, vice versa, by looking at
the plume one can state stability condition and dispersive capacity of
atmosphere.
• The behavior and dispersion of a plume entirely depend on the
environmental lapse rate (ELR).
PLUME BEHAVIOUR TYPES
Looping Coning Fanning
Lofting Fumigation Trapping

PLUME BEHAVIOUR
• LOOPING: It is a type of plume which has a wavy character. It occurs in a
highly unstable atmosphere because of rapid mixing. The high degree of
turbulence helps in dispersing the plume rapidly but high concentrations
may occur close to the stack if the plume touches the ground.
• CONING: It is a type of plume which is shaped like a CONE. This takes place
in a near neutral atmosphere, when the wind velocity is greater than 32
km/hr. However the plume reaches the ground at greater distances than
with loping.
• FANNING: It is a type of plume emitted under extreme inversion conditions.
the plume under these condition will spread horizontally, but little if at all
vertically. Therefore the prediction of ground level concentration (SLC) is
difficult here .
PLUME BEHAVIOUR
• LOFTING: Lofting occurs when there is a strong lapse rate above a surface
inversion. Under this condition, diffusion is rapid upwards, but downward
diffusion does not penetrate the inversion layer under these conditions,
emission will not reach surface.
• FUMIGATION: It is a phenomenon in which pollutants that are emitted into
the atmosphere are brought rapidly to the ground level when the air
destabilizes.
• TRAPPING: This refers to conditions where the plume is caught between
inversions and can only diffuse within a limited vertical height. The lofting
plume is most favorable air to minimizing air pollution. The fumigation and
trapping plumes are very critical from the points of ground level pollutant
concentrations
Relation B/W Plume Behaviour & Lapse Rate
• Plume dispersion is heavily influenced by atmospheric stability, which depends on
the relationship between the ELR and the adiabatic lapse rate.
• Stability: Atmospheric stability refers to the resistance of air to vertical motion. It

depends on the comparison between the ELR and the adiabatic lapse rate:
1. Unstable Atmosphere (ELR > Adiabatic Lapse Rate): When the ELR is steeper than the
adiabatic lapse rate (either DALR or MALR), the rising air parcel cools faster than the
surrounding air. This creates turbulence and promotes vigorous mixing, leading to strong
plume dispersion.
2. Neutral Atmosphere (ELR = Adiabatic Lapse Rate): If the ELR matches the adiabatic lapse
rate, the rising air parcel cools at the same rate as the surrounding air. This results in
moderate plume dispersion.
3. Stable Atmosphere (ELR < Adiabatic Lapse Rate): When the ELR is shallower than the
adiabatic lapse rate, the rising air parcel is warmer than the surrounding air and tends to
sink back down. This creates stable conditions with minimal vertical mixing, leading to weak
plume dispersion and potentially trapping pollutants near the ground.

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LAPSE RATE &

Dr. Vikas .B. Varekar

• The lapse rate given in units of

Moist adiabatic lapse rate

Looping Coning Fanning

Lofting Fumigation Trapping

• Stability: Atmospheric stability refers to the resistance of air to vertical motion. It

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