Past exam of the physics of atmospheres and oceans course of the University of Oxford / 2019 / 1 / b / Solution

Interpret the requested mass path as the vapour column; no condensed-water loading is prescribed. Hydrostatic equilibrium gives $dp=-\rho gdz$, so if $q_B={\rho }_B/\rho$ is vapour mass fraction,For the mixture $q_B=ϵe_s/[p+(ϵ-1)e_s]$. Under the dilute conditions of part (a), $q_B\simeq ϵe_s/p$. Introduce $\zeta =-\ln (p/p_s)$, so $T=T_s{e}^{-x\zeta }$ and $-dp=pd\zeta$. Integrating the constant-$L$ Clausius-Clapeyron equation relative to the surface givesThereforeThe explicit $p_s$ cancels: decreasing vapour mass fraction in a denser dry column compensates its greater total mass. This cancellation belongs to the dilute, dry-adiabatic approximation, and is not a general property of moist atmospheres. With suspended condensate, an additional and unspecified condensate mass path would have to be added.