meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...

, the equilibrium level (EL), or level of neutral buoyancy (LNB), or limit of convection (LOC), is the height at which a rising

parcel Parcel may refer to: * Parcels (band), an Australian modern soul band * Parcel (consignment), an individual consignment of cargo for shipment * ''Parcel'' (film), 2019 Bengali film * Parcel (package), sent through the mail or package delivery ...

of air is at the same

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied on ...

as its environment. Meteorology_thermodynamic_en

This means that unstable air is now stable when it reaches the equilibrium level and

convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the c ...

stops. This level is often near the tropopause and can be indicated as near where the anvil of a thunderstorm because it is where the thunderstorm updraft is finally cut off, except in the case of overshooting tops where it continues rising to the maximum parcel level (MPL) due to momentum. More precisely, the cumulonimbus will stop rising around a few kilometres prior to reaching the level of neutral buoyancy and on average anvil glaciation occurs at a higher altitude over land than over sea (despite little difference in LNB from land to sea).

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The Difference Between the Equilibrium Level and Maximum Parcel Level

{{climate-stub Severe weather and convection Atmospheric thermodynamics Buoyancy

See also

References

External links