<p>I assume that the sentence in the book mainly refers to subsidence as an adiabatic process. This sinking motion has a maximum which is at a height well above the surface, simply for the reason that air flow can not penetrate the earth's surface. Therefore maximum adiabatic heating rates occur well above the surface as well. The precise height where this occurs depends on the height of the planetary boundary layer, which itself depends on many more both adiabatic and diabatic effects.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-03T20:09:05.587Z
2019-08-09T07:59:39.070Z
2019-08-09T07:59:39.070Z
Basileios
<blockquote>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/s0RAb.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/s0RAb.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
  
  <p><strong>Source</strong> : <a href="https://www.weather.gov/media/zhu/ZHU_Training_Page/clouds/stability_clouds/stability_clouds.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">weather.gov</a></p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p>This is mentioned in the book I have been reading regarding stability in atmosphere. 
But I am not able to pin point exact reason behind this.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"As the layer subsides, it becomes compressed by the weight of the
  atmosphere and shrinks vertically. The upper part of the layer sinks
  farther, and, hence, warms more than the bottom part." (Ahrens et al.,2019)</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p>-<strong>Ahrens, C.D., Henson, R. (2019)</strong>. "Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment". 12th Edition. Chapter 6 ( Stability and Cloud Development), <em>CENGAGE Learning Custom Publishing</em>, page 146-147</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-27T10:39:25.107Z
I'm sorry as I used different sources for each. Although the image is found in both.
Book is : Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment Textbook by C. Ahrens 11th Edition. Chapter 6 ( Stability and Cloud Development), page 146-147
Maverick33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-27T12:47:31.843Z
@gansub Yes. I get it.  But shouldn't there be uniform warming of the mass of sinking air in both upper and lower part. If it had to be uneven, then rather lower part should warm up more as pressure increases downwards and thus more compression.  
I don't understand the uneven distribution of warming and that too at upper layer.

Am I making sense?
Maverick33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-27T12:49:58.967Z
@gansub Why in the left image in the given question, the slope of the layer is not like that green-dotted line, rather it has rotated and upper part of x'-y' has more temperature than lower part.  ( Even though same process of adiabatic compression is applied overall)
Maverick33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-27T12:57:11.623Z
@gansub yes,  two different locations could have two different lapse rate. But here it is saying in general, that when air mass sinks its upper layer warms more than its lower layer.  I hope you are not getting what is confusing me.
Maverick33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-27T12:57:56.510Z
@ I don't think if radiation cooling should matter as in this case the base of the x'-y' air mass is like 1Km about the ground.
Maverick33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-27T13:02:56.727Z
@gansub No, see the wikipedia image you have cited https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Absinkinversion.png    It is happening at like 1-2Km above the surface
Maverick33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-27T13:17:11.107Z
I hope my question made sense. I don't know much about etiquette and rules here. Sorry if my question was not clear. And I hope commenting here brought clarity to the question.
Maverick33
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-05T08:21:52.900Z
i think you will find the accsepted answer here https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/9302/why-are-inversion-layers-so-important-in-meteorology interresting,it might even be the answer you want.
trond hansen
<meteorology><atmosphere><inversion>
Why during subsidence inversion, upper layer warms more than lower layer?
Maverick33
# Why during subsidence inversion, upper layer warms more than lower layer?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-06-27)

> [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/s0RAb.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/s0RAb.png)
>
> **Source** : [weather.gov](https://www.weather.gov/media/zhu/ZHU_Training_Page/clouds/stability_clouds/stability_clouds.pdf)

---

This is mentioned in the book I have been reading regarding stability in atmosphere.
But I am not able to pin point exact reason behind this.

> "As the layer subsides, it becomes compressed by the weight of the
> atmosphere and shrinks vertically. The upper part of the layer sinks
> farther, and, hence, warms more than the bottom part." (Ahrens et al.,2019)

---

-**Ahrens, C.D., Henson, R. (2019)**. "Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment". 12th Edition. Chapter 6 ( Stability and Cloud Development), *CENGAGE Learning Custom Publishing*, page 146-147

**Tags:** meteorology, atmosphere, inversion

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I'm sorry as I used different sources for each. Although the image is found in both. Book is : Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment Textbook by C. Ahrens 11th Edition. Chapter 6 ( Stability and Cloud Development), page 146-147  
> **username_0**: @gansub Yes. I get it.  But shouldn't there be uniform warming of the mass of sinking air in both upper and lower part. If it had to be uneven, then rather lower part should warm up more as pressure increases downwards and thus more compression.   I don't understand the uneven distribution of warming and that too at upper layer.  Am I making sense?  
> **username_0**: @gansub Why in the left image in the given question, the slope of the layer is not like that green-dotted line, rather it has rotated and upper part of x'-y' has more temperature than lower part.  ( Even though same process of adiabatic compression is applied overall)  
> **username_0**: @gansub yes,  two different locations could have two different lapse rate. But here it is saying in general, that when air mass sinks its upper layer warms more than its lower layer.  I hope you are not getting what is confusing me.  
> **username_0**: @ I don't think if radiation cooling should matter as in this case the base of the x'-y' air mass is like 1Km about the ground.  
> **username_0**: @gansub No, see the wikipedia image you have cited https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Absinkinversion.png    It is happening at like 1-2Km above the surface  
> **username_0**: I hope my question made sense. I don't know much about etiquette and rules here. Sorry if my question was not clear. And I hope commenting here brought clarity to the question.  
> **username_1**: i think you will find the accsepted answer here https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/9302/why-are-inversion-layers-so-important-in-meteorology interresting,it might even be the answer you want.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-07-03. Score: 1

I assume that the sentence in the book mainly refers to subsidence as an adiabatic process. This sinking motion has a maximum which is at a height well above the surface, simply for the reason that air flow can not penetrate the earth's surface. Therefore maximum adiabatic heating rates occur well above the surface as well. The precise height where this occurs depends on the height of the planetary boundary layer, which itself depends on many more both adiabatic and diabatic effects.


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