Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-of-atmospheres-and-oceans-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2022/1/a/solution
Past exam of the physics of atmospheres and oceans course of the University of Oxford 2022 1 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
For the variable-latent-heat saturation curve of a pure saturated water atmosphere, the total pressure equals the saturation pressure. The exact Clausius-Clapeyron relation along the phase coexistence curve iswhere are the specific volumes of the vapor and condensed thermodynamic phase. Neglecting and using the ideal gas law, , givesThe triple point provides the integration constant. Below it, the prescribed latent heat is constant, soAbove it, write . Integrating givesThese are the requested implicit temperature profiles . Both branches meet at , and each is monotone before the limiting liquid-gas critical point. The lower branch describes equilibrium with ice, rather than a stable liquid surface. A stable liquid ocean surface belongs to the upper branch; the colder upper atmosphere may use the lower branch. Hydrostatic balance is needed to convert this relation into a height profile, but not to obtain .
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