1. List and describe four major mechanisms which lift air, causing expansion and cooling.

2. Describe the differences between the dry adiabatic, moist adiabatic, and pseudoadiabatic lapse rates.

3. Explain why moist air is more buoyant than dry air at the same temperature and pressure.

4. For a dry atmosphere, compare the lapse rate of a rising air parcel to the lapse rate of the environment in a stable, neutral, and unstable atmosphere. Explain how the difference in the lapse rate of the parcel and the environment affect the vertical movement of the parcel in the atmosphere.

5. Explain how the presence of water vapor affects the lapse rate of a rising air parcel once the parcel becomes saturated.

6. Explain how the unequal distribution of water vapor in an initially stable layer of air can influence the stability of the layer if the layer is lifted.

7. Describe the effect of entrainment of air into a rising parcel has on the stability of the atmosphere.

8. Describe how various conditions of stability of the atmosphere relate to the dispersion of pollutants.

On to Session 6 Assessment

Developed by
The Shodor Education Foundation, Inc.
Copyright © 1996