The wet adiabatic rate for a rising parcel of air is less than the dry rate because

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The release of latent heat from water vapor condensing into liquid water when air is saturated causes the wet adiabatic rate to be less than the dry adiabatic rate. This is because the release of heat allows the parcel of air to cool less for the same amount of ascent, resulting in a shallower slope on a temperature vs. height graph.

The Wet Adiabatic Rate for a Rising Parcel of Air