Convective available potential energy
| Advanced search |
- About 7 results found and you can help!
In meteorology, convective available potential energy (CAPE), sometimes, simply, available potential energy (APE), is the amount of energy a parcel of air would have if lifted a certain distance vertically through the atmosphere. CAPE is effectively the positive buoyancy of an air parcel and is an indicator of atmospheric instability, which makes it very valuable in predicting severe weather. It is a form of fluid instability found in thermally stratified atmospheres in which a colder fluid overlies a warmer one. As explained below, when an air mass is unstable, the element of the air mass that is displaced upwards is accelerated by the pressure differential between the displaced air and the ambient air at the (higher) altitude to which it was displaced. This usually creates vertically developed clouds from convection, due to the rising motion, which can eventually lead to thunderstorms. It could also be created in other phenomenon, such as a cold front. Even if the air is cooler on the surface, there is still warmer air in the mid-levels, that can rise into the upper-levels. However, if there is not enough water vapor present, there is no ability for condensation, thus storms, clouds, and rain will not form.
- See also: Wikipedia
- Related: Atmospheric thermodynamics, Lifted index
| Buoyancy and CAPE tutorial Buoyancy and CAPE tutorial www.atmos.albany.edu/deas/atmclasses/atm301/CAPE.htm - Web |
| NWS Glossary entry NWS Glossary entry www.weather.gov/glossary/index.php?word=CAPE - Web |
| CAPE tutorial CAPE tutorial www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints/305/ - Web |
Average relevance
| Convective Season Environmental Parameters and Ind... Convective Season Environmental Parameters and Indices www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/soo/docu/indices.php - Web |
| A class in CAPE measurement (requires Macromedia F... A class in CAPE measurement (requires Macromedia Flash Player) www.tornadochaser.net/capeclass.html - Web |
| Convective instability and internal gravity waves ... Convective instability and internal gravity waves (lots of equations) astron.berkeley.edu/~jrg/ay202/node129.html - Web |
| Jeff Haby's page on Convective Instability Jeff Haby's page on Convective Instability www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints/214/ - Web |
