If the temperature of the air outside the parcel at the summit of Pike Peak is -20°C. What will happen to the parcel when it is released at the summit?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The prompt asks us to analyze a multiple-choice question about what happens to a parcel released at the summit when the outside air temperature is -20°C, but the provided data include no answer options aside from a single listed option: "It will continue to rise" and the options array is empty.

First, consider the physical idea behind a rising air parcel. Whether a parcel will rise depends on its buoyancy, which is determined by its temperature relative to the surrounding environmental air. If the parcel is warmer than its surroundings after release, it will be less dense and buoyant, causing it to rise. If it is cooler, it will tend to sink or remain at the same level, reaching neutral buoyancy where its temperature equals that of the surrounding air.

Key concepts involved:
- Buoyancy: An air parcel rises if its temperature is higher than the ambient temperature (leading to lower density) and sinks if it is cooler (higher density).
- Environmental lapse rate: The rate at which ambient air temperature decreases with height; this influences whether a parcel remains buoyant as it rises.
- Adiabatic processes: In the absence of heat exchange, the parcel cools as it rises (dry adiabatic lapse rate ~9.8°C/km, saturated rate is different). When released at the summit, if the surrounding air is -20°C, the parcel’s initial temperature relative to -20°C will determine buoyancy.

Now, with the information given:
- The outside temperature at the summit is -20°C.
- The question asks what happens to the parcel when released, but we do not know the parcel’s initial temperature, its moisture content, or its instantaneous state (whether it is saturated, etc.).
- The single option provided, "It will continue to rise," would be correct only if the parcel is warmer than the surrounding air after release, making it buoyant and causing continued ascent relative to the environment. If the parcel were cooler than -20°C, it would not rise and might descend or remain at the same level.

Because the options list is missing, we cannot assess multiple-choice distinctions or identify which choice among several would be correct. If we assume the scenario intends that the parcel is warmer than the ambient air at that height (a common setup for buoyant parcels in air sufficiently warmer than the environment), then the statement "It will continue to rise" would be consistent with buoyant behavior. Conversely, without information about the parcel’s temperature, moisture, or stability relative to -20°C, there is no definitive conclusion.

In sum, the key to answering this question lies in the relative temperature of the parcel versus the ambient -20°C at the summit. The missing options prevent a complete comparison, but the underlying principle is that buoyancy governs ascent: a warmer parcel rises, a cooler parcel sinks or remains neutral. The lack of option data leaves the precise correctness of the provided statement uncertain without additional context.

EAS1600 Inclass_atmos_stability_0409

If the temperature of the air outside the parcel at the summit of Pike Peak is -20°C. What will happen to the parcel when it is released at the summit?

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EAS1600 Inclass_atmos_stability_0409

If the temperature of the air outside the parcel at the summit of Pike Peak is -20°C. What will happen to the parcel when it is released at the summit?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

The atmosphere is typically most unstable _____.

If an atmosphere is stable to convection, it means a rising air parcel will be (choose all correct answers):

Radiative equilibrium temperature profile is stable to convection.

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A conditionally unstable atmosphere is ____ with respect to unsaturated air and ____ with respect to saturated air.

Radiative equilibrium temperature profile is stable to convection.

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A conditionally unstable atmosphere is with respect to unsaturated air and with respect to saturated air.