When or where is air most likely unstable?

Air is considered unstable in the lowest layers of an air mass when the air is warmer and or more humid than the surrounding air. When this occurs the air will rise as that air parcel is warmer than the air surrounding it. In an unstable environment the weather can change suddenly and can be violent.

What conditions make a parcel of air unstable?

The atmosphere is said to be absolutely unstable if the environmental lapse rate is greater than the dry adiabatic lapse rate. This means that a rising air parcel will always cool at a slower rate than the environment, even when it is unsaturated.

Which condition below would make a layer of air more unstable?

When a layer of air is forced to rise it tends to become more unstable because the top layer cools more rapidly than the bottom. This steepens the environmental lapse rate. This effect is enhanced even more when the lower layer of the lifted parcel is moist and the upper layer is dry.

Which of the following would not be associated with stable atmospheric conditions group of answer choices?

Chapters 12 & 13 & 14

Question	Answer
Which of the following would NOT be associated with stable atmospheric conditions?	afternoon thunder showers
A parcel of air has a temperature of 0˚C as it crosses a mountain range at 3000 meters. If it descends, what will its temperature be when it reaches sea level?	30˚C

What is stable and unstable air?

Stable air means that the weather is likely to be calm. It may rain or snow slowly and steadily it may be sunny but the weather will not change quickly. Unstable air means that the weather might change quickly with very little warning.

Is saturated air stable or unstable?

The atmosphere is conditionally unstable. A rising parcel of unsaturated air ends up cooler and denser than the surroundings. A parcel of saturated air, which cools at a slower rate, ends up warmer than the air around it. The condition for instability is that the air must be saturated.

What causes stable and unstable air?

What makes air stable or unstable? It is the vertical profile of temperature, or lapse rate of the atmosphere, which determines whether an air mass is stable or not.

How can a conditionally unstable atmosphere become unstable?

How can a conditionally unstable atmosphere become unstable? Latent heat released by cloud formation causes an air parcel to cool.

When air is unstable the environmental lapse rate?

If the environmental lapse rate is 7°F per 1000 ft; which is greater than the dry adiabatic rate of 5.5°F per 1000 ft, the atmosphere is unstable. As you can see, if the air parcel moves upwards, its temperature remains warmer than the temperature of the surrounding air, so it will continue to rise.

Which is not a characteristic of stable air?

Explanation: characteristics of stable air: stratiform clouds, continuous precipitation, smooth air, poor visibility. A and B are incorrect because of the following characteristics of unstable air: cumulus clouds, showery precipitation, turbulence, good visibility.

Is high pressure stable or unstable?

In high-pressure systems or anticyclones, air may be descending, compressing and gaining energy, such that temperature at altitude rises, thereby increasing atmospheric stability.

What two conditions working together make the atmosphere the most unstable?

These two conditions, working together, will make the atmosphere the most unstable. heating or cooling of the ground. heat released if water vapor condenses. expanded to a larger volume.

What is stable and unstable atmosphere?

If it falls rapidly with height, then the atmosphere is said to be unstable; if it falls more slowly (or even temporarily increases with height) then a stable atmosphere is present.

What conditions cause a stable air mass quizlet?

Indicates stability: stability of the atmosphere is determined by vertical movements of air. Warm air rises when the air above is cooler. Cooling from below: surrounding air is warmer, which would increase the stability of an air mass.

What causes stability and instability in the atmosphere?

An airmass ascends and becomes unstable when it becomes warmer than the surrounding airmass while descending airmass becomes stable. The stability and instability depend on the relationships between 'normal lapse rate' and 'adiabatic change of temperature'.

Which of the following is a characteristic of stable air?

Explanation: The following are characteristics of stable air: stratiform clouds continuous precipitation smooth air poor visibility.