What is an adiabatic process? What happens to an air parcel as it rises and sinks adiabatically?
An adiabatic process is one in which there is no mixing of parcel air with surrounding or outside air. As a parcel rises, air expands and cools. As a parcel sinks, it is compressed and warms up. Changes in temperature are due to expansion and compression only. This is an adiabatic process. 13. What is a radiosonde? What does it measure and how many times per day are measurements taken? A radiosonde is a package of instruments launched by a weather balloon into the atmosphere to measure various quantities in the vertical. Temperature, moisture, pressure, wind speed and direction can all be determined and be sent back to the surface via radio transmitter. Balloon launches occur twice per day all over the world. The time of launch at any particular location is that corresponding to 0000 and 1200 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) – the time at Greenwich, England. 14. Define the Environmental Lapse Rate (ELR), the Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate (DALR) and Wet Adiabatic Lapse Rate (WALR). When is each (DA
