Atmospheric Stability Model Instructions
From GeoMod
This model illustrates atmospheric stability by showing the differences in air temperature inside and outside of a parcel of air resulting from adiabatic cooling within the air parcel and the environmental lapse rate outside the sphere.
Contents |
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Download software
| Operating System | Download |
|---|---|
| All OSs (with VPython installed) | Adiabatic code page |
| Windows XP and Vista installer | adiabatic_07_GeoMod.exe (2.9 Mb) |
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Multimedia
- Media:Adiabatic-demo.mov - 2.5 Mb Quicktime .mov demonstrating the model.
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Demonstration of model. Click to enlarge.
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User's Guide: Model Controls
All controls are in the left window.
- Controls (white spheres) at both ends of the Environmental Lapse Rate line (ELR) allow you to change the temperature at the surface or at 5km in the atmosphere (can be used to show the effect of heating of the land surface during the day).
- The yellow sphere located between the Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate (DAR) and the Moist Adiabatic Lapse Rate (MAR) is also a control
- Moving the yellow button up and down simulates raising or lowering a parcel of air that starts off at the temperature at the surface and cools adiabatically.
- Moving the yellow button side to side shows the difference in adiabatic cooling for different humidities.
- Two buttons below the bottom of the graph places lines on the graph for a better reading of temperature and elevation in and outside the air parcel.
The right window shows the air parcel and the outside temperature on a color scale representing their temperatures. The values of the inside and outside temperatures are also shown.
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Notes
- The DAR and MAR are assumed to be constant in this model.
