Description
Divide theta difference by height difference and label its exact sign.
Atmospheric quantities distinguish temperature coordinates, pressure references, and moisture mass ratios. Specific humidity uses total moist-air mass, while a mixing ratio uses dry-air mass; those denominators must be explicit.
Divide theta difference by height difference and label its exact sign.
When to use this tool
Use Potential Temperature Vertical Gradient Sign when you need one atmospheric data component under a specified reference and unit convention.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter lowerThetaKelvin, upperThetaKelvin, lowerHeightMeters, upperHeightMeters. Use the units and conventions below.
- Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
- Read gradientKelvinPerMeter, sign. Use the output convention below.
Require positive lower and upper potential temperatures in kelvin and increasing heights in meters. Divide theta difference by height difference and label its exact sign.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| lowerThetaKelvin | Potential temperature at the lower point, in kelvins. | Required. Finite number; strictly above 0. |
| upperThetaKelvin | Potential temperature at the upper point, in kelvins. | Required. Finite number; strictly above 0. |
| lowerHeightMeters | Lower point height in meters on the common height reference. | Required. Finite number. |
| upperHeightMeters | Greater upper point height in meters on the same reference. | Required. Finite number. |
| Output field | Interpretation | Returned shape |
|---|---|---|
| gradientKelvinPerMeter | Upper minus lower potential temperature divided by upper minus lower height, in K/m. | Required. Finite number. |
| sign | Exact sign of the computed gradient; not a full atmospheric stability assessment. | Required. Text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192. |
{
"input": {
"lowerThetaKelvin": 290,
"upperThetaKelvin": 295,
"lowerHeightMeters": 0,
"upperHeightMeters": 1000
},
"output": {
"gradientKelvinPerMeter": 0.005,
"sign": "positive"
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- This is a supplied two-level gradient, not a full stability, moisture, turbulence, weather, or aviation assessment; potential temperature is not calculated.
- Inputs must satisfy both the field types and the cross-field conditions above. Invalid input causes an error; a successful false flag or documented placeholder is a different result.
- Numeric calculations use binary floating point unless exact decimal-integer arithmetic is explicitly stated. No hidden measurement tolerance or decimal rounding is added; nonfinite or out-of-contract results are rejected. Numeric signed-zero results are exported as zero.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Verify the complete meteorological definition and input measurements before combining the result with a model or observation series.
References
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