Lapse Rate Question

Have you tried a Google search? It turns up quite a bit of info.
In case it helps:
The dry adiabat is the rate at which unsaturated air cools when lifted.
(Ballpark 3 deg C / 1000').
The moist or saturated adiabat is the rate at which air cools when lifted,
once saturated. (Ballpark 1/2 of the dry adiabat in the lower atmosphere).
If you lift a parcel of air from the ground, the level at which it would
saturate is the Lifting Condensation Level (LCL). (Ballpark, take the
temperature-dewpoint spread and divide by 3, to get the height in thousands
of feet of cumuliform cloud bases from daytime heating)
If you were to continue lifting the parcel of air beyond the LCL, the point
at which the parcel becomes warmer than the environment and rises on its own
is called the LFC or Level of Free Convection. It shows altitudes at which
you should expect convection and turbulence if enough lift is provided to
saturate the air at those levels.

Cheers!



"Jim Tagliani" wrote in message
...
Can someone describe the Level of Free-air Convection (LFC) and how it
relates to the different lapse rates (Dry Adiabatic, Wet Adiabatic and
especially the Observed Lapse Rate?)

Thanks in advance,
Jim