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Why are the dry and saturated rates given in different units? The dry rate is given in degrees C/km and degrees F/1000ft, while the saturated rate is given in degrees C/1000 feet. Obviously, this makes it impossible to compare one rate to the other without doing some math on the reader’s part. 73.90.91.93 (talk) 00:59, 3 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The adiabatic lapse rate section says it assumes "a still vertical column at equilibrium". Elsewhere I've read that at thermal equilibrium, the temperature is uniform even in a gravitational field. My intuition says gradient, since it seems to me the molecules should pick up speed as they fall. But I genuinely don't know the truth. Is there a reference for this? Would an isolated column of ideal gas in a gravitational field g have a temperature gradient proportional to g? Spiel496 (talk) 21:25, 19 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The statement about “a still vertical column” was wrong, and has been amended. A new section “Lapse rate in an isolated column of gas” addresses the issue of the lapse rate in still air in a gravitational field with no energy flows through it. ~~~ Rhwentworth (talk) 05:00, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

In the article it specifically mentions that warm air rises undergoing adiabatic expansion and cold air falls undergoing adiabatic compression. In the energy balance from the First Law of Thermodymamics there is a term for the work from adiabatic expansion, but the work term for adiabatic compression is missing. I suspect these two terms will cancel out on average. That means pressure has no impact on lapse rate.

I suspect the lapse rate is due to the temperature drop from the reistance to heat transfer because of the low thermal conductivity of air. JJBraccili (talk) 22:50, 27 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]