Unit 9 Notes
Unit 9 Overview
Slide 1: Effects of Instability
Slide 2: Positve & Negative Buoyancy
Slide 3: Instability and Lapse Rates
Slide 4: Determining Instability Using the Skew-t pt.1
Slide 5: Determining Instability Using the Skew-t pt.2
Slide 6: Sounding Plots: Level of Free Convection
Slide 7: How High Will a Parcel Go?
Slide 8: Degrees of Instability
Slide 9: Instability/Skew-t Summary pt. 1
Slide 10: Instability/Skew-t Summary pt. 2
Slide 11: Measures of Instability: The Lifted Index
Slide 12: Using the Lifted Index
Slide 13: A Modified LI: The Showalter Index
Slide 14: The K-index: Instability & Rainfall Potential
Slide 15: Convective Available Potential Energy
Slide 16: Instability Measures and Sounding Plots
Slide 17: A Lid on Convection: Capping Inversions
Slide 18: Recognizing Capping Inversions
Slide 19: If a Capping Inversion is Broken...
Slide 20
Slide 21
Unit 9 Overview
In this unit we will be looking at instability, which is loosely defined as the state of the atmosphere in which a parcel of air that is pushed upward from the surface will continue to rise on its own.
Obviously, this is closely tied to the temperature profile within the atmosphere: as long as a rising parcel of air stays warmer than its surroundings, it will continue upward. We will also see how we can monitor this profile of the atmosphere using sounding data.
It is extremely important in the study of meteorology to determine where and to what extent these vertical motions of air will occur...remember, the stronger the vertical motions, the higher the cloud tops, and the greater the chance for life-threatening weather events!
