Moist Adiabatic Lapse Rate
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(from Meteorology: Understanding the Atmosphere)
•Air parcels that get saturated as they rise will cool at a rate smaller than the dry adiabatic lapse rate due the heating produced by the condensation of water vapor.
•This moist adiabatic lapse rate is not a constant but determined by considering the combined effects of expansion cooling and latent heating.
•In the lower troposphere, the rate is 10°C/km – 4°C/km = 6°C/km.
•In the middle troposphere, the rate is 10°C/km – 2°C/km = 8°C/km.
•Near tropopause, the rate is 10°C/km – 0°C/km = 10°C/km.