Potential Temperature UNESCO Adiabatic Calculator
UNESCO 1983 adiabatic gradient integrated RK4≤10dbar steps to explicit reference pressure, IPTS68 input/output; not conservative temperature. Caller independently establishes units, regime, calibration and applicability; this does not establish design-code compliance, authenticity, operational safety, treatment efficacy or a validated forecast.
Description
Potential temperature is the temperature a water parcel would have after an adiabatic move to a reference pressure.
When to use Potential Temperature UNESCO Adiabatic Calculator
Use this tool to calculate or review the supplied observations under the stated rules. Match the observation interval, units, datum, coordinate signs and model regime.
How to use Potential Temperature UNESCO Adiabatic Calculator and understand its results
- Match the observation interval, units, datum, coordinate signs and model regime.
- Enter practicalSalinity, temperatureIpts68C, pressureDbar, referencePressureDbar, using the field meanings and rules below, then run the tool.
- Read potentialTemperatureIpts68C. Inspect nested result fields where present, and review unknown records separately from known matches.
- Correct any reported input issue and run again. Before using a successful result, check the stated units, signs, reference scope and observation coverage.
| Input field | Meaning | Value type | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| practicalSalinity | Practical salinity | number | Required |
| temperatureIpts68C | Temperature ipts68 c | number | Required |
| pressureDbar | Pressure dbar | number | Required |
| referencePressureDbar | Reference pressure dbar | number | Required |
Require salinity 0..42, temperature −2..40 °C and both pressures 0..10000 gauge dbar. Integrate the empirical adiabatic gradient with classical fourth-order Runge–Kutta, using max(1,ceil(abs(reference−pressure)/10)) equal steps. Check temperature remains −2..40 after each completed step. Equal pressures preserve the original temperature.
dT/dp=UNESCO83AdiabaticGradient(S,T,p); step=(p_ref−p)/max(1,ceil(|p_ref−p|/10)) Use the matching field units and the exact boundary, ordering and reference rules above.
| Output field | Meaning | Value type |
|---|---|---|
| potentialTemperatureIpts68C | Potential temperature ipts68 c | number |
{
"input": {
"practicalSalinity": 35,
"temperatureIpts68C": 10,
"pressureDbar": 1000,
"referencePressureDbar": 1000
},
"output": {
"potentialTemperatureIpts68C": 10
}
}Limitations and assumptions
The stated observation or model covers only the supplied record and reference regime. It does not fill missing measurements, supply uncertainty estimates or produce a validated forecast.
Missing required fields, unknown fields, wrong types and violated rules return input issues. Numeric values and outputs must be finite.
Alternative or Complementary methods
For a related step, use Practical Salinity PSS78 From CTD Converter: Practical Salinity on PSS-78 is calculated from a conductivity ratio corrected for temperature and pressure. For a complementary comparison, use Potential Density Sigma Theta Calculator: Potential density evaluates a parcel at its potential temperature and a chosen reference pressure.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- Practical Salinity PSS78 From CTD Converter
Practical Salinity on PSS-78 is calculated from a conductivity ratio corrected for temperature and pressure.
- Potential Density Sigma Theta Calculator
Potential density evaluates a parcel at its potential temperature and a chosen reference pressure.