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Atmospheric thermodynamics is the study of heat-to-work transformations (and their reverse) that take place in the Earth's atmosphere and manifest as weather or climate. . Atmospheric thermodynamics use the laws of classical thermodynamics, to describe and explain such phenomena as the properties of moist air, the formation of clouds, atmospheric convection, boundary layer meteorology, and ...
It stops rising when it has cooled to the same temperature as the surrounding air. Associated with a thermal is a downward flow surrounding the thermal column. The downward-moving exterior is caused by colder air being displaced at the top of the thermal. Another convection-driven weather effect is the sea breeze. [6] [7]
A number of materials contract on heating within certain temperature ranges; this is usually called negative thermal expansion, rather than "thermal contraction".For example, the coefficient of thermal expansion of water drops to zero as it is cooled to 3.983 °C (39.169 °F) and then becomes negative below this temperature; this means that water has a maximum density at this temperature, and ...
Temperature differences also drive a set of circulation cells, whose axes of circulation are longitudinally oriented. This atmospheric motion is known as zonal overturning circulation . Latitudinal circulation is a result of the highest solar radiation per unit area (solar intensity) falling on the tropics.
A thermal column (or thermal) is a rising mass of buoyant air, a convective current in the atmosphere, that transfers heat energy vertically. [1] Thermals are created by the uneven heating of Earth's surface from solar radiation , and are an example of convection , specifically atmospheric convection .
Adiabatic expansion occurs in the Earth's atmosphere with orographic lifting and lee waves, and this can form pilei or lenticular clouds. Due in part to adiabatic expansion in mountainous areas, snowfall infrequently occurs in some parts of the Sahara desert. [8] Adiabatic expansion does not have to involve a fluid.
The temperature of this point, the Joule–Thomson inversion temperature, depends on the pressure of the gas before expansion. In a gas expansion the pressure decreases, so the sign of is negative by definition. With that in mind, the following table explains when the Joule–Thomson effect cools or warms a real gas:
In fluid dynamics, a convection cell is the phenomenon that occurs when density differences exist within a body of liquid or gas. These density differences result in rising and/or falling convection currents, which are the key characteristics of a convection cell. When a volume of fluid is heated, it expands and becomes less dense and thus more ...