ATSC 3032

Tephigrams, and static stability

sources:
-handout text
-online module called Skew T mastery

1. Aerological diagrams

Radiosonde (or rawinsonde) data

Maps
Vertical profiles

Instrument contains:
Hygristor, thermistor, aneroid barometer, and
radio transmittor
At the ground, a highly directional radio
direction finding antenna is used to obtain the
wind speed and direction at various levels in the
atmosphere by tracking the radiosonde and
determining the azimuth and elevation angles.

Aerological diagrams
Hydrostatic balance
Ideal gas law
Hypsometric equation

Aerological
diagrams: different
types

emagram

Stuve

pressure

Rd

cp

temperature

Stuve

Skew T log p

Fig 1d. Elements of a tephigram. First, the 5 lines are shown

separately, and then they are combined in the lower-right image.

2. using a tephigram

tephi

LCL (lifting condensation level)

LCL
ground

Applications
1. Determine the height of the base of cumulus clouds, given surface
observations of T and Td : H T T T T
d

LCL

d Td

2. Determine the cloud base temperature: Tcloudbase Tsurface 10 H LCL

wet-bulb
potential
temperature

potential
temperature

equivalent
potential
temperature
saturated
equivalent
potential
temperature

wet bulb temperature:

energy balance on the damp sock:
LE = H
LE = 6 u [esat(Tw)-e]
H = 4 u [T-Tw]
(Regnault balance)

Applications
1. Layer thickness (between po and p)

z = 100 T

2. Precipitable water

3. Chinook (Fhn) effect

west

Cascade Mountains

east

4. subsidence

5. Turbulent mixing, mixed layer (stratus), MCL

Oakland

Conserved or not conserved?

Radiational T

T
Td
Tw

e or w
e*
q or r
RH

Evaporation/
condensation

Ascent/descent

Conserved or not conserved?

Radiational T

Evaporation/
condensation

Ascent/descent

Td

Tw

e or w

e*

q or r

RH

3. stability

stability

Local vs non-local stability

Conditional vs absolute stability

Case II:

d e* < 0
dz

Absolutely stable

Conditionally unstable

Absolutely unstable

equilibrium
level

benign

LFC
convective inhibition

severe

no convection

Typical wet-season tropical sounding

Conditional instability:

d e* < 0
dz

Potential instability

Potential instability:

d e
dz

or

d w
dz

Lifting a potentially
unstable layer

Latent instability

WLR: wet-bulb lapse rate

deep convection
source layer

Stability indices

Significant level indices

e.g. UW sounding site

WB0: Wet bulb zero, Tw = 0C ideally 7-9,000ft MSL, yet well below the FL

PWAT: Precipitable water (mm) the higher the better

LCL: Lifting condensation level (mb, from surface data) the lower the better

TOTL: Total totals index =T 850 +Td 850 - 2T 500 (C) the higher the better,
thunderstorms probable when TOTL>50

KINX: K index =T

SWET: Sweat index or severe weather threat - the higher the better, for severe
storms, SW>300
SWET= 12*Td850 +20*(TOTL-49) + 2*U850 +U500 +125*(0.2+sinf)
where f= [wind direction 500 - wind direction 850 ]
U is expressed in kts and TOTL-49 is set to 0 if TOTL<49

MLTH and MLMR: mean mixed layer (lowest 500 m) potential temp and mixing ratio

850

+ Td

850

-T 500 -(T-Td)700 (C) the higher the better

PARCEL indices
Lifted index uses:
Actual sfc temp
or
Estimated max sfc temp
or
Mean mixed-layer temp
(note: always use virtual
temp!)

Showalter index
SI=T500-Tp,850

PARCEL indices

LIFT: Lifted index (C) must be negative

LI = T500 T parcel,near-sfc [a 50 mb deep mixed layer is often used]
LFTV: lifted index, but Tv is used.
SHOW: Showalter index (C, as LI but starts from 850mb) must be negative
SHOW = T500 T parcel,850
CAPE: Convective available potential energy - should be over 500J/kg
CAPV: CAPE using Tv
CINS: Convective inhibition (external energy) - ideally 100-300 J/kg
CINV: CIN using Tv
CAP: Cap strength (C) Tenv Tparcel @LCL - should be <5C
LFC: Level free convection (LFCT and LFCT) (mb) - should be close to the LCL
EQL: Equilibrium level or level of neutral buoyancy (EQLT and EQLV)(mb) - should be high
MPL: Maximum parcel buoyancy level (mb) - level where buoyancy (Tp-Tenv) is maximum

Wind parameters

STM: Estimated storm motion (knts) from 0-20,000ft AGL layer, spd 75%
of mean, dir 30 deg veer (to the right) from mean wind.
HEL: Storm relative helicity 0-10,000ft AG (total value)
SHR+: Positive shear magnitude 0-3000m AG (sum of veering shear values)
SRDS: Storm relative directional shear 0-3000m AG (directional difference
of storm relative winds)
EHI: Energy helicity index (prop to positive helicity * CAPE)
BRN: Bulk Richardson number 500-6000m AG (BRN = CAPE/.5BSHR 2)
BSHR: Bulk shear value (magnitude of shear over layer), shear calculated
between 1000-500 mb or 500 m 6000 m AGL

example mid-term questions

As a rule of thumb, thunderstorms are possible when LI<0, and severe thunderstorms
are likely if LI<-8. Assuming surface values T=32C, Td=22C, T500=-7C, calculate Tv at
the surface, and the lifted index LI based on both T and Tv.

Note that traditionally LI was calculated based on T, but the more correct procedure uses
Tv. The difference is small but not negligible!

Using a given sounding on a tephigram, graphically determine, for an air parcel at 850
mb, the following: LCL, Tw , r, rs, e, es, RH, , w, e*, e,

Using a given sounding on a tephigram, graphically determine layers of:

absolute instability
conditional instability
potential instability
draw a parcel ascent path and shade the areas of

positive energy (CAPE)

negative energy (CIN)

LIFT=-7 K
CAPE=1974 J/kg
CIN=-24 J/kg
LCL= 900 mb
LFL= 836 mb