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Which quantity is the convective available potential energy?

  • A.The negative area
  • B.The difference in temperature between the parcel and the environment at the level of maximum buoyancy reached
  • C.The positive area between the parcel and environment curves
  • D.The total energy required to lift a surface parcel to the level at which it first becomes saturated above

Answer: C

Integrating the buoyancy from the level of free convection to the equilibrium level gives the available potential energy in joules per kilogram, which appears as an area on a thermodynamic diagram. Values above about 2000 indicate potential for severe convection. It is an upper bound on the updraught energy, since entrainment and water loading both reduce the realised value. Checking the units of each quantity catches a wrong formula before the arithmetic begins.

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