Talk:Convective available potential energy

Modified image of Skew-T diagram
The first skew-T image did not explain what the three colored lines represent. I found an explanation on this french page: and added it to the caption.

The explanation makes sense, but invalidates the caption's first sentence "... cooling which occurred in the mid-levels resulting in an unstable atmosphere ...".

I am no meteorologist, but it looks like the mid-levels became warmer and much dryer, hence the instability. Moist air is less dense than dry air (water vapor is 0.6 times less dense than dry air), and also contains more latent heat (when water condenses to a liquid, it releases heat, just as heat is needed to vaporize water). This is what gives C.A.P.E to the moist rising air parcel.

But before I make that edit, it would be great to hear from a Real Meteorologist (tm). I will contact some.

KeithLofstrom (talk) 15:37, 22 April 2011 (UTC)


 * We can see from the surface temperature that the results with the large difference between actual and dew point temperature (looking like a foot :-) are supposed to be from the morning, and the results with the small difference are supposed to be from the afternoon. The surface air warmed, but the air between 2km and 5km altitude cooled. --RainerBlome (talk) 07:21, 12 September 2017 (UTC)

More accessible explanation please
This article is written as if talking to the .1% of people who already know the material don't need to read it. Some work on more down-to-earth explanations would be good. A good starting point would be to briefly explain red link terms where the reader is sent to a non-existent article to see what they mean in order to read this article. North8000 (talk) 22:50, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

Actually, it is written to the several percent of persons (like me) who don't already understand it, but can do so. It is clear that the average lay person will need to absorb quite a bit of theory (mostly relating to heat & mass transfer) before being able to understand this article. Anyway, the links to Atmospheric thermodynamics and Lifted index at the end should provide a sufficient starting point for the lay person. — Preceding unsigned comment added by AliasMarlowe (talk • contribs) 13:41, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

The SkewT-logP diagram shown as the modified sounding is not physically feasible. I do not know how the very large super-adiabatic lapse rate just above the 800mb level with the continued instability can be generated. I am assuming that this is a cooked-up sounding to demonstrate CAPE. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.66.111.247 (talk) 22:19, 31 October 2016 (UTC)
 * So what level should this assume? I'm an engineer, but not a meteorologist, and it's fine to me. Andy Dingley (talk) 18:21, 20 June 2017 (UTC)

What values are extreme?
Article refers to thunderstorms developing when CAPE >5; yet I'm looking at Tuesday 13-NOV-18 weather forecast for summit of Aconcagua where the CAPE is predicted to be 110! Can you explain that? 2600:1700:4CA1:3C80:ED78:EA7D:6EE1:95DA (talk) 02:27, 12 November 2018 (UTC)

The first paragraph was nearly unintelligible to a non-specialist, so I made a stab at explaining it. I am not a meteorologist, so I may have missed a nuance or two, but I think it is basically correct. Tweaks and clarifications welcomed. Or let me know if this plain-English explanation is not appropriate. I'm new at this! Ed Gracely (talk) 01:30, 7 July 2024 (UTC)