wrote in
:

On 24 Nov 2004 21:38:35 -0800, (Andrew
Sarangan) wrote:



Adiabatic lapse rate is 1C/1"Hg for moist air (depending on moisture
content) and 3C/1"Hg for dry air. 2C/1"Hg is a representative average
for somewhat moist but unsaturated air. It is still a useful indicator
of stability. I would not discount is as a completely meaningless
number. It is a useful reference, just like 29.92" and 15C.



Adiabatic lapse rate never changes. It is not a useful indicator of
stability. It tells you nothing about stability until you know the
actual lapse rate of the air mass in question.


You should read up on lapse rates. There is dry adiabatic lapse rate, moist
(saturated) adiabatic lapse rate, average adiabatic lapse rate and even
more obscure ones like superadiabatic lapse rate and autoconvective lapse
rate. It is definitely not a constant, but the commonly accepted average
lapse rate is 2C/1000ft.