Potential Temperature

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Potential Temperature

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The temperature a parcel of dry air would have if brought adiabatically from its initial state to the (arbitrarily selected) standard pressure of 1000 millibars. Its mathematical expression is

θ = T(1000/p)^R/cp

where θ is the potential temperature; T is the Kelvin temperature; p is pressure, millibars; R is the gas constant for dry air; and c_p is the specific heat or dry air at constant pressure. See equivalent potential temperature, adiabatic process. [[/a>|/a> ]]

References

This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use