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Encyclopedia of Standard Planetary Information, Formulas, and Constants

Summary of Constants
Tables of Atmospheric Parameters for the Planets
Adiabatic Lapse Rate, Dry
Autoconvective Lapse Rate
Amagats
Beer's Law
Beta Plane Approximation
Brunt Vaisala or Buoyancy Frequency
Cloud Clearing
Cloud Properties
Dobson Units
Double Linear Interpolation
Earth: Molecular Abundances
Earth: Molecular Spectral Regions
Earth: Oceans
Earth: Orbit
Equations of Motion
FFT and Cosine Transform
Gas Constant
Geopotential
Geostrophic Approximation
Gravity
Heat Balance
Humidity
Hurricanes
Hydrostatic Equilibrium
Ideal Gas Law
IR Filter Bandpasses
Latitude: planeto-graphic and planeto-centric
Longitude Systems and Conversion
Orbital Equation of Motion
Planck Function
Planetary Missions Summary
Potential Temperature
Potential Vorticity
Radiative Time Constant
Radiative Transfer Equation (IR)
Rayleigh Scattering: Optical Depth
Rayleigh Scattering: Phase Function
Richardson Number
Rossby Number
Saturation Vapor Pressure
Scale Height
Thermal Wind Equation
Velocity of Sound
Vorticity
Weighting Functions
Wind Measurement

Broker's listing and other resources
Welcome to the Planets

Planetary Photo Journal

Adiabatic Lapse Rate, Dry

from the first law of thermodynamics

dQ = dU + W = n · cv dT + P dV = 0
where cv is given in units of erg/K/mole and n is the number of moles. The derivative of the ideal gas law, P · V = n R T, is

V dP + P dV = n R dT
equating P dV and noting that R = cp - cv yields

dQ = n cv dT - V dP + n (cp-cv) dT

dQ = n cp dT - V dP = 0 for adiabatic
Cp = cp/<mw> and = n · <mw>/V so that

dT/dP = V/(n · cp) = 1 /(Cp · )
From hydrostatic equilibrium and the gas law we can convert from pressure to height coordinates:

dP = - g dz

dT/dz|a = -g/Cp

a -dT/dz|a = g/Cp

<g>
cm/s2

Cp
J/gm/K

Adiabatic
Lapse Rate
K/Km

Rg
J/gm/K

Autoconvective
Lapse Rate
K/Km

Venus | 889.89 | 0.8501 | 10.468 | 0.18892 | 47.104
Earth | 979.86 | 1.0040 | 9.760 | 0.28710 | 34.130
Mars | 374.10 | 0.8312 | 4.500 | 0.18892 | 19.802
Jupiter | 2425.61 | 12.3591 | 1.963 | 3.74518 | 6.477
Saturn | 1000.09 | 14.0129 | 0.714 | 3.89246 | 2.569
Uranus | 880.07 | 13.0137 | 0.676 | 3.61491 | 2.435
Neptune | 1110.46 | 13.0137 | 0.853 | 3.61491 | 3.072
Titan | 135.80 | 1.0440 | 1.301 | 0.29000 | 4.683

NASA's Planetary Atmospheres Node
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Last Update: May/16/00