The rule of adiabatic cooling says that temperature drops about 1°C for every additional 220 meters of elevation.The town of Amherst,Massachusetts,is at 90 meters elevation.The nearby town of Shutesbury is at 420 meters.Assuming that differences in climate between these two towns are solely due to elevation,what should the average temperature in Shutesbury be if the average temperature for a given day in Amherst is 5°C?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The elevation difference between Amherst and Shutesbury is 420-90=330 meters. Using the rule of adiabatic cooling, we can calculate the temperature drop as follows:
Temperature drop = (330/220) x 1°C = 1.5°C
Therefore, the average temperature in Shutesbury should be:
5°C - 1.5°C = 3.5°C (rounded to one decimal place)

The Rule of Adiabatic Cooling Says That Temperature Drops About