Use of the Tephigram

Converting dew point to mixing

ratio
What is the mixing ratio of a
parcel of air which has a dew
point of 10°C at 800 mb?

Plot Td on the tephigram

TD Read off the value of mixing

ratio from the scale at the
bottom: 9.8 g kg-1 .
Converting dew point to RH
What is the relative humidity
of a parcel of air which has
a temperature of 15°C and
dew point of 10°C at 800
mb?

T We need RH = 100*w/ws
TD
w = 9.8 g kg-1 as before
ws = 13.6 g kg-1

So RH = 72%
Parcel approximation
LCL is the Lifting Condensation
Air parcel lifted Level, the height that a parcel of
without mixing air must be lifted to reach
and without saturation.
adding or In a convective boundary layer it
removing heat usually corresponds to cloud
base

SALR
z
LCL
DALR

T
 Path of air parcel on tephigram
Consider a parcel of air lifted from the surface, e.g. by flow over a hill

Parcel initially at: 25°C, dew

point 8.5°, pressure 1000 Cloud
mb. We can see that this
corresponds to w = 7 g kg-1
Lifting condensation
As parcel ascends: level, LCL = 780 mb
T follows dry adiabatic
Mixing ratio is constant
until saturation (T = TD)

Then parcel follows

saturated adiabatic
 “Normand’s Theorem”
Wet bulb potential
Project the saturated temperature, θW is used to
adiabatic to 1000 mb. label saturated adiabats
Cloud
It is colder than the (value of T where adiabat
(unsaturated) crosses 1000 mb)
temperature because
water is evaporated LCL
into the air to keep it
saturated, and the
energy comes from the
air.
This is the definition of
the wet bulb TD TW T
temperature.

Dry adiabatic through the temperature, the mixing ratio line through the dew point,
and the saturated adiabatic through the wet bulb temperature, all meet at the LCL
Early morning tephigram over land
No cloud
Tropopause

Boundary
layer top
Lifting Condensation
Level = 930 mb

Radiation
inversion
Mixing out of radiation inversion –
solar heating at the ground

Cloud top
Cumulus
layer
LCL in the
afternoon

Surface warms from

18°C to 23°C
 Energy = area on tephigram. What happens
if something pushes air parcel upwards?
Convective available
potential energy = area
where Tparcel>Tenvironment

Convective Level of
inhibition = area free
where convection
Tparcel<Tenvironment
 Deep convection
• Develops when CIN is small and CAPE is
large
• Need some CIN otherwise there is no
‘build-up’ of energy in the boundary layer
• Mechanical forcing often needed to
overcome CIN – e.g. flow over mountain,
sea breeze, cold front
• At other times large-scale forcing e.g.
trough provides lift.
Orographic uplift – lift each point
on tephigram by 50 mb

Initial profile. We will use the four

coloured altitudes as examples
Orographic uplift – lift each point
on tephigram by 50 mb
Lift the bottom point through 50 mb. It does not reach the LCL and
remains unsaturated

50 mb
Orographic uplift – lift each point
on tephigram by 50 mb
Lift the next point through 50 mb. It does reach saturation

50 mb
Orographic uplift – lift each point
on tephigram by 50 mb
Lift the next two points through 50 mb.

50 mb
Orographic uplift – lift each point
on tephigram by 50 mb
Join up the dots to get the new temperature profile.

Hill Cloud
Potential Instability
Grey line: temperature
profile lifted 50 mb

Orange line:
SALR from
uplifted surface
air

Slope of grey
Saturation line > SALR so
convectively
unstable where
saturated: deep
thunderstorms
would occur on
this day over a
small hill