A World of Weather: Chapter 6 Introduction

CHAPTER 6

ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY
While living in Atlanta some years ago, one of the authors routinely rode his bicycle to work, taking a route that included a stretch of dirt road. It was the most serene part of the trip, with the secluded road guarded from the surrounding urban sea by uninterrupted rows of stately oak trees. In the morning, however, the rural serenity of the dirt road could be broken by a choking pall of dust that mushroomed in the wake of a car whizzing by as if it were traveling on Interstate 285. The pall could hang in the air for much of the two-mile stretch of dirt road, putting a dusty damper on what began as an invigorating pedal to work. However, the trip home was usually much less hazardous to the lungs, with dust kicked up by an occasional passing car quickly dispersed in the warm afternoon air. How could the personality of the environment change so drastically in such a short time without any change in the prevailing weather pattern? To answer this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde riddle, we undertake the study of atmospheric stability.