Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES

University Town, Catarman Northern Samar

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

S.Y. 2023-2024

ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY
(Major 9-METEOROLOGY)

Presented by:

ACIBAR, ROY

BANDAL, ALIYAH

CORONA, JONALYN

(BSED-SCIENCE 2)
 ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY

INTRODUCTION:

Atmospheric stability is an important concept in

meteorology that helps us understand the behavior of air in
the Earth's atmosphere. It refers to the tendency of the air to
either remain in place or rise and fall. Understanding
atmospheric stability is crucial in predicting weather patterns
and assessing atmospheric conditions for various activities. In
this discussion, we will explore different aspects of
atmospheric stability and its significance in weather
forecasting.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Understand the concept of atmospheric stability and its importance in weather prediction.
2. Explain the factors that influence atmospheric stability, such as environmental lapse rate, dry
adiabatic lapse rate, and moist adiabatic lapse rate.
3. Identify and explain the criteria for stability, including the first criteria for stability and full
stability criteria.
4. Recognize the role of inversions in atmospheric stability and their impact on weather
conditions.
 What is Atmospheric Stability?
Atmospheric stability is defined as the resistance of the atmosphere to vertical
motion.
 A. Environmental Lapse Rate:

Environmental lapse rate refers to the rate at which temperature of the surrounding
environment changes with increasing altitude in the Earth's atmosphere.

Example: If you climb a mountain, you may notice that it becomes cooler as you go higher. This
decrease in temperature with altitude is the environmental lapse rate.

B. Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate:

Dry adiabatic lapse rate is the rate at which the temperature of a dry parcel of air changes as it
moves vertically in the atmosphere (rises or sinks in the atmosphere) assuming that no heat is
exchanged with the surrounding environment.

• It is approximately 10°C per 1000 Example: Imagine a hot air balloon rising in the
meters sky. As the balloon ascends, the air inside expands
• This means that in every 1000 and cools.
meters (1km) the parcel of air
changes it's temperature by 10°C
• When the temperature of the
environment at 1000 mters
above the surface is 5 degrees
celsius
 C. First Criteria for Stability:

• The first criteria for stability states that:

"If the environmental lapse rate (temperature of the surrounding environment) is less than
the dry adiabatic lapse rate (the dry air parcel), the atmosphere is considered stable."

ELR < DALR

Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate

Environmental Lapse Rate (Dry air parcel inside the

balo

Example: Hot air baloon

• The change in temperature of the air inside the balloon as it rises or falls represents the
adiabatic lapse rate.
• If the balloon goes up or down without any exchange of heat with the outside air, the
temperature inside the balloon will change in a certain way.
• On the other hand, the temperature of the air outside the balloon, which is the actual
temperature in the atmosphere, represents the environmental lapse rate. It tells us how the
temperature changes as we go higher in the sky, considering all the factors like sunlight, wind,
and weather conditions.
• In a stable atmosphere, air parcels tend to resist vertical motion and stay in place or return to
their original position if disturbed

D. Moist adiabatic lapse rate

• Also called Saturated lapse rate or wet adiabatic

lapse rate
• The most adiabatic lapse rate is the rate at which
the temperature of a saturated parcel of air (air
containing maximum moisture) changes as it rises
or sinks in the atmosphere without exchanging
heat with its surroundings.
• It is approximately 5 °C per 1000 meters

For Example: When warm, moist air rises

and forms clouds
 E. Full Stability Criteria

In full stability, the environmental lapse rate is less than both the dry adiabatic lapse rate and the
most adiabatic lapse rate.

This indicates a stable weather condition (calmed weather).

F. Inversions and Stability

• Inversions occur when the temperature increases with altitude instead of decreasing.
• They hinder the vertical mixing of air and contribute to atmospheric stability.
• Inversions can trap pollutants near the surface and affect local weather conditions.

Example: A Thinck layer of smog hovering over this place

• Temperature inversion, a reversal of the normal behaviour of temperature in the troposphere

(the region of the atmosphere nearest Earth’s surface), in which a layer of cool air at the
surface is overlain by a layer of warmer air. (Under normal conditions air temperature usually
decreases with height.)
• Inversions play an important role in determining cloud forms, precipitation, and visibility. An
inversion acts as a cap on the upward movement of air from the layers below.
 Inversions also occur when a layer of warm air sits on top of a layer of colder air close to the
surface of the Earth. This situation prevents the warm air and any associated moisture from rising and
mixing with the cooler air above. As a result, the moisture gets trapped closer to the ground, which
leads to a suppression of cloud formation and precipitation.

4 TYPES OF TEMPERATURE INVERSIONS

1. Ground or Radiation Inversion.

The temperature inverses when the air
near the ground is cooled off more rapidly
than the layer of air above it.
2. Turbulence or Vertical Advection.
Turbulence inversion happens when
stagnant air lids turbulent air.

3. Subsidence Inversion. When a significant layer of air descends due to

high pressure, it warms up rapidly, and the air at lower altitudes
remains colder.

4. Frontal Inversion. When warm and cold air

current meets, cold air raises the warm air due
to differences in densities.
 THE EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE INVERSION

Temperature inversion is an important contributor to cloud formation, fog, smog, lack of precipitation,
and visibility disruption. Here is how temperature inversions affect our environment:

1. Poor Visibility: Cooler air gets trapped within a layer of warmer air, and
the moisture condenses and forms clouds called smog. But since these
clouds cannot escape the level of inversion, they cause poor visibility in that
region.

2. Absence of Rainfall: Because the clouds cannot get high enough, there is
no rain. This has adverse effects on the agriculture industry.

3. Diurnal variations: Temperature inversion also

affects the usual fluctuations in temperature throughout the day. Typically, the
sun’s radiation heats the ground during the day.

4. Thunderstorms and tornados: Inversions also

cause intense thunderstorms and tornadoes because of the energy
trapped high up in the atmosphere.

5. Air Pollution: Finally, smoke, dust, and pollutant particles get trapped in
the troposphere, and they can react with each other to form chemicals that
are hazardous when inhaled, like smog.

Effect of Temperature Inversions on Climb and Descent

The atmosphere with an inversion layer affect a balloon when climbing or descending through the
inversion layer.
 • Consider the case of a balloon that is descending towards an inversion. As the balloon begins to
penetrate the bottom of the inversion it will encounter cooler more dense air. As there is now a greater
difference in temperature inside the balloon compared to outside the balloon, more lift will be
generated which will cause the descent rate to reduce.

• When climbing towards an inversion from below the top of the balloon will encounter the warmer air
mass and create less lift because there is now less difference between the temperature inside the
balloon when compared to outside the balloon. As a result of the reduction in lift the balloon’s ascent
rate will reduce.

Windshear

It is quite common for there to be windshear associated with a temperature inversion. The inversion decouples
the layers of air and they can therefore be moving at different speeds and / or directions. Whenever there is
windshear associated with an inversion there will be ‘false lift’ generated as you enter the inversion layer from
below. Although the lift of the balloon decreases as the balloon enters the inversion from below this can
sometimes be more than made up for by false lift generated by windshear.

Recognising a Temperature Inversion in Flight

• When flying, indicators that help in recognising a temperature inversion may be that the balloon
responds slowly when you are attempting to climb or perhaps your descent rate reduces markedly
during descent without the application of heat.

• You may also notice that the visibility reduces as you enter the inversion layer from above or below as
dust and haze tends to be concentrated within the layer. Dust, smoke and other particulate matter that
reduces visibility can be lifted up to the inversion but often is not warm enough to progress through the
layer into the cooler air. This leads to a concentration within the inversion with much better visibility on
top of the inversion.
SUMMARY

Understanding atmospheric stability and its various aspects helps meteorologists predict weather
patterns and assess conditions for activities such as aviation, agriculture, and outdoor events. By
analyzing the environmental lapse rate, dry adiabatic lapse rate, and full stability criteria, scientists
can better understand the behavior of air in the Earth's atmosphere and make more accurate weather
forecasts.

REFRENCES

http://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/atmo/chapter/chapter-5-atmospheric-stability/

http://buzzar-brandi.blogspot.com/2016/03/atmospheric-stability-and-instability.html?m=1

https://faculty.kutztown.edu/courtney/blackboard/physical/17stability/stability.html

https://www.nwcg.gov/publications/pms425-1/atmospheric-stability

https://www.brisbanehotairballooning.com.au/recognising-a-temperature-inversion/