The lapse rate is defined as the rate of decrease with height for an atmospheric variable. The variable involved is temperature unless specified otherwise. The terminology arises from the word lapse in the sense of a decrease or decline. While most often applied to Earth's atmosphere the concept can be extended to any gravitationally supported ball of gas.
Read more about Lapse Rate: Definition, Mathematical Definition, Types of Lapse Rates, Significance in Meteorology
Famous quotes containing the words lapse and/or rate:
“When words fail us or, quite the opposite, when they rush from our mouths faster than we would like, we can console ourselves that if no single moment is going to define our relationship with a child, neither can a single lapse of good judgment or patience destroy it.”
—Cathy Rindner Tempelsman (20th century)
“We all run on two clocks. One is the outside clock, which ticks away our decades and brings us ceaselessly to the dry season. The other is the inside clock, where you are your own timekeeper and determine your own chronology, your own internal weather and your own rate of living. Sometimes the inner clock runs itself out long before the outer one, and you see a dead man going through the motions of living.”
—Max Lerner (b. 1902)