Abstract
Recognition of the importance of the effects of adiabatic temperature changes for atmospheric processes enabled scientists to develop new explanations for familiar phenomena which in many ways were superior to the old explanations. Pertinent investigations were discussed in Chapter 2. Now the interpretation of the process of adiabatic change on the basis of the first law of thermodynamics will be analyzed. In 1862, the subject of adiabatic change in the atmosphere was taken up in England by William Thomson, knighted Lord Kelvin. Within a few years, it was also thoroughly investigated by Theodor Reye in Germany and H. Peslin in France. These three scientists, working independently, formulated the adiabatic equations for dry and moist air and made fundamental contributions to the thermal theory of cyclones. In addition, Reye (1864) and Peslin (1868) established criteria for determining the stability of the atmosphere with regard to vertical displacements of air parcels. These criteria allowed them to predict the conditions under which convection would occur. Their work was based on graphical methods, improved tables of adiabatic temperature changes (with numerical values obtained from equations rather than experiments), and better observational material of actual atmospheric conditions in higher strata (balloon ascents and mountain observations).
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References
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Kutzbach, G. (1979). Early Applications of the First Law of Thermodynamics. In: The Thermal Theory of Cyclones. Meteorological Monographs. American Meteorological Society, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-940033-80-8_3
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