<p>Definitely an interesting question...  You need to adjust your temperature data to a common elevation by using the lapse rate.  The lapse rate can be determined as the temperature change over a standard interval in elevation change.  For instance, find the lowest elevation on your traveled route, and note the temperature.  Then for each location for which you have both elevation and temperature, determine the elevation difference and temperature difference to that lowest elevation location.  The lapse rate will be derived as the temperature difference per unit elevation difference.  In other words, the lapse rate will be noted as so many degrees per 100 meters change in elevation.  The lapse rate determined for the locations on your traversed route can be averaged and your data reduced to a common elevation on the basis of the average lapse rate.  My assumption is that the determined lapse rates would likely be relatively close in value when expressed as a temperature change for given standard elevation change.</p>
<p>Now, with the lapse rate known, your temperature data can be reduced to a common elevation.  Nevertheless, a consideration would be if you noticed that the lapse rate was considerably different from location to location.  Consequently, you may wish to simply adjust each location to a common elevation by using the lapse rate derived for that location based on a comparison with that location's nearest neighbor.  You can derive the local lapse rate by comparison of nearby locations, and then reduce your various measurements to a common elevation for comparison.</p>
<p>Lapse rate is typically a feature of an airmass.  The lapse rate is dependent on water vapor content in the air.  Commonly, the lapse rate is taken as a specific value for dry air, or for moist air.  You can compare the lapse rate you have derived with these values to get a sense of whether the air is moist or dry.  Consequently, you can determine if the lapse rate is related to the region or area for which your temperature measurements were made.  For instance, near the coast the lapse rate may be lower due to moisture in the air.  Farther inland, in dryer air, the lapse rate may be higher due to less moisture in the air.</p>
<p>An interesting question. Thanks for asking.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-17T07:21:43.297Z
I'd argue even with all of that, it's a very rough estimate, not a full correction... because the sfc temp differences relates most to how exposed a surface is, not just what the nearby atmospheric lapse rate is?  But agree it's about the best you can do.
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-20T06:49:29.583Z
@Thomas Perry, dry and moist air have a very specific definition and it is unlikely, but not impossible, for ALi KV to have been in moist air. Moist air is when relative humidity is 100% and you are in mist/fog/cloud. Then the latent heat of vaporisation is released as water particles form, warming the air. Chances are the lapse rate around ALi KV would have been almost exactly 1°/100m. Overnight radiative cooling or intense solar heating may have changed this in certain 'pocket's but perhaps that's what ALi KV's trying to calculate.
Mehmet Karatay
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-14T00:46:48.583Z
2022-12-14T00:46:48.583Z
Thomas Perry
<p>I traversed a route in a city. The route has different elevation. So I need to remove the effect of elevation from my air temperature measurements. The measurements done by temperature data logger mounted over a car and a GPS in it. So, the air temperature joined to location which has elevation. As result, I have air temperature and elevation fields loaded up into Excel.</p>
<p>All I need to do it to correct the effect of elevation on my air temperature data, which I do not know how to do that.</p>

<temperature><topography><air>
How to remove effect of topography on Air temperature in Excel?
ALi KV
# How to remove effect of topography on Air temperature in Excel?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-12-13)

I traversed a route in a city. The route has different elevation. So I need to remove the effect of elevation from my air temperature measurements. The measurements done by temperature data logger mounted over a car and a GPS in it. So, the air temperature joined to location which has elevation. As result, I have air temperature and elevation fields loaded up into Excel.

All I need to do it to correct the effect of elevation on my air temperature data, which I do not know how to do that.

**Tags:** temperature, topography, air


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-12-14. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Definitely an interesting question... You need to adjust your temperature data to a common elevation by using the lapse rate. The lapse rate can be determined as the temperature change over a standard interval in elevation change. For instance, find the lowest elevation on your traveled route, and note the temperature. Then for each location for which you have both elevation and temperature, determine the elevation difference and temperature difference to that lowest elevation location. The lapse rate will be derived as the temperature difference per unit elevation difference. In other words, the lapse rate will be noted as so many degrees per 100 meters change in elevation. The lapse rate determined for the locations on your traversed route can be averaged and your data reduced to a common elevation on the basis of the average lapse rate. My assumption is that the determined lapse rates would likely be relatively close in value when expressed as a temperature change for given standard elevation change.

Now, with the lapse rate known, your temperature data can be reduced to a common elevation. Nevertheless, a consideration would be if you noticed that the lapse rate was considerably different from location to location. Consequently, you may wish to simply adjust each location to a common elevation by using the lapse rate derived for that location based on a comparison with that location's nearest neighbor. You can derive the local lapse rate by comparison of nearby locations, and then reduce your various measurements to a common elevation for comparison.

Lapse rate is typically a feature of an airmass. The lapse rate is dependent on water vapor content in the air. Commonly, the lapse rate is taken as a specific value for dry air, or for moist air. You can compare the lapse rate you have derived with these values to get a sense of whether the air is moist or dry. Consequently, you can determine if the lapse rate is related to the region or area for which your temperature measurements were made. For instance, near the coast the lapse rate may be lower due to moisture in the air. Farther inland, in dryer air, the lapse rate may be higher due to less moisture in the air.

An interesting question. Thanks for asking.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I'd argue even with all of that, it's a very rough estimate, not a full correction... because the sfc temp differences relates most to how exposed a surface is, not just what the nearby atmospheric lapse rate is?  But agree it's about the best you can do.  
> **username_3**: @username_1, dry and moist air have a very specific definition and it is unlikely, but not impossible, for username_0 to have been in moist air. Moist air is when relative humidity is 100% and you are in mist/fog/cloud. Then the latent heat of vaporisation is released as water particles form, warming the air. Chances are the lapse rate around username_0 would have been almost exactly 1°/100m. Overnight radiative cooling or intense solar heating may have changed this in certain 'pocket's but perhaps that's what username_0's trying to calculate.  

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