This quantity is computed by integrating the difference between a parcel's temperature and the temperature of the environment from the LFC to the level of neutral buoyancy. For 10 points each:
[10h] Name this quantity that characterizes the instability in a given vertical slice of the atmosphere. High amounts of it indicate potential for strong thunderstorms.
ANSWER: convective available potential energy [or CAPE]
[10e] The amount of CAPE controls the speed of these air currents. Supercells are characterized by rotating examples of these rising vertical air currents.
ANSWER: updrafts
[10m] The CAPE is defined graphically as the area between a moist adiabat and the curve obtained from measurements by these devices, which measure temperature, pressure, and relative humidity, then transmit the data to the ground using low-frequency waves.
ANSWER: radiosondes [prompt on balloons or weather balloons]
<Billy Busse, Earth Science>