Conditional instability occurs whenever the environmental lapse rate is ____ the moist adiabatic rate and the dry adiabatic rate.
A)higher than
B)less than
C)between
D)the same as
E)double

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Conditional instability in the atmosphere occurs when the environmental lapse rate (the rate at which temperature decreases with an increase in altitude) is between the moist adiabatic rate (the rate at which a saturated air parcel cools as it rises) and the dry adiabatic rate (the rate at which a dry air parcel cools as it rises). This means the atmosphere is stable to unsaturated air parcels (which cool at the dry adiabatic rate as they rise) but potentially unstable to saturated air parcels (which cool at the slower moist adiabatic rate).

Conditional Instability Occurs Whenever the Environmental Lapse Rate Is ____