- #1
Tandem78
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I understand the idea that an unsaturated parcel of air will rise along the dry adiabat until the condensation level is reached, at which point the air is saturated with moisture. If it rises further, it will do so along the moist adiabat - but doesn't that mean at the same time that water should condense out to form clouds?
If you apply the Stuve diagram to any typical summer weather, you get condensation levels typically of a few thousand metres. For example, a temperature of 32c and a dewpoint of 16c gives you a saturated mixing ratio of 30.5 and actual mixing ratio of 11.3, which puts the condensation level on the Stuve diagram at around 2000 m - but the reality is that the sky is cloudless.
So, how can you have a cloudless sky in this situation?
Thanks for any guidance.
If you apply the Stuve diagram to any typical summer weather, you get condensation levels typically of a few thousand metres. For example, a temperature of 32c and a dewpoint of 16c gives you a saturated mixing ratio of 30.5 and actual mixing ratio of 11.3, which puts the condensation level on the Stuve diagram at around 2000 m - but the reality is that the sky is cloudless.
So, how can you have a cloudless sky in this situation?
Thanks for any guidance.