Stability and Instability

What type of air stability resists vertical movement?

• Conditional instability

• Absolute stability
• Absolute instability

This type of air stability occurs when the environmental lapse rate is greater than the dry adiabatic rate.

• Absolute stability 
• Absolute instability 
• Conditional instability

The stability of air is determined by measuring the _____ of the atmosphere at various heights.

• Temperature
• Atmospheric layers
• Unstable air
• Stable air

True or False: The most stable conditions occur during a temperature inversion when the temperature decreases with height.

• True 
• False

What type of lifting occurs around a mountain?

• Convergence
• Orographic
• Convective
• Frontal

What is the Dry adiabatic rate?

• Approx. 10 degrees per 1,000 meters

• 6 degrees per 1,000 meters
• Warms parcel of air that is less dense than its surrounding air
• Cold parcel of air that is more dense than its surrounding air

What is a temperature inversion?

• Environmental lapse rate is less than the wet adiabatic rate
• Environmental lapse rate is greater than dry adiabatic rate
• Environmental lapse rate is equal to adiabatic rates
• The temperature in a layer of air actually increases with altitude

What is absolute stability?

• Environmental lapse rate is less than the wet adiabatic rate
• Environmental lapse rate is greater than dry adiabatic rate
• Small, fluffy clouds associated with fair weather
• No cloud are in the sky

Which type of weather does stable air create?

• Sunny Skies
• Rain and Thunderstorms
• Tornado
• Cloudy but no rain

Why is the dry lapse rate greater than the saturated lapse rate?

• Dry air absorbs heat energy when condensing.

• Saturated air is usually at a higher temperature than dry air.

• Saturated air dispels latent heat energy when condensing.

• Dry air is usually at a higher temperature.