Atmospheric Cap

[LithiaWx]

From what I understand a cap can be seen on a skew-t chart. I read that it has to do with increasing temps as you move up from the 850mb level. My question is, Is there another way to see a cap and it's strength without directly looking at a skew-t? I was also wondering if CIN has something to do with the cap and how do you read the CIN maps on the Mesoscale Analysis page from the NWS... Any tips on how to "read" caps would be much appreciated..

[baroclinic_instability]

From what I understand a cap can be seen on a skew-t chart. I read that it has to do with increasing temps as you move up from the 850mb level. My question is, Is there another way to see a cap and it's strength without directly looking at a skew-t? I was also wondering if CIN has something to do with the cap and how do you read the CIN maps on the Mesoscale Analysis page from the NWS... Any tips on how to "read" caps would be much appreciated..

CIN (or CINH) is the measure of the "strength" of the cap using a thermodynamic diagram (or calculated using algorithms in numerical models using the same physical principles a thermodynamic diagram uses). It is a thermodynamic property just like CAPE. CIN stands for Convective Inhibition and is measured in joules/kg and is a measure of "negative" energy between an air parcel and its level of free convection (LFC). Parcel buoyancy is what causes air to rise and accelerate in thunderstorms--and that is related to density differences between the "ambient" air and the air parcel in question. This is why you hear meteorologists refer to the temperatures aloft as it is difficult for an air parcel to be buoyant with respect to the ambient air mass if it is warm aloft. Just like thicknesses can be used as a very "first" guess field for precipitation types, temperatures aloft (or virtual temps) can be used to assess the potential the atmosphere "may" be capped. 700/850 temps are typically used as a first guess since the capping layer is tyipcally found there in association with the EML (environmental mixed layer) associated with dry mixed atmospheric layers advecting off the high plains. Farther E different levels may be used since the EML typically does not advect that far eastward. In the end, skew-T's are really the only way to assess the capping inversion, and even then many considerations need to be made including different types of parcel paths (mixed layer CAPE, SBCAPE, Most Unstable, etc.), the synoptic flow pattern, strength of potential lifting mechanisms (fronts, dryline, outflow boundaries, etc.), moisture levels in the boundary layer, various relative humidities, etc.

[LithiaWx]

thanks, that was pretty technical but I think I can understand this if I read carefully and try and see what you are talking about on charts and graphs.