Which of the following would increase the environmental lapse rate?
A) cold advection at higher altitudes
B) daytime solar heating
C) surface radiational cooling
D) all of the above
E) both cold advection at higher altitudes and daytime solar heating

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Cold advection at higher altitudes would create a cooler air mass aloft, which would increase the vertical temperature difference between the surface and the upper atmosphere, thus increasing the environmental lapse rate. Daytime solar heating would warm the surface, creating a warmer air mass near the ground, which would also increase the vertical temperature difference and therefore the environmental lapse rate. Surface radiational cooling, on the other hand, would decrease the temperature near the surface, but would not necessarily affect the environmental lapse rate unless it was part of a larger atmospheric process. Therefore, choices A and C can be eliminated. Choice D is too broad and does not provide a specific reason for why each factor would increase the environmental lapse rate.

Which of the Following Would Increase the Environmental Lapse Rate