Assessing the Moist and Dry Static Energies in the Atmosphere as a Van Der Waals Gas in 2015 and 2017 over the Metropolitan Region of Natal-RN, Brazil

This study evaluated the monthly average of the enthalpy, geopotential, latent heat content, moist static energy, and dry static energy at several levels of the atmosphere as a Van Der Waals gas from radiosonde data at 00:00 UTC and 12:00 UTC over the metropolitan region of Natal-RN-Brazil. The years 2015 and 2017 were considered because they presented more than 70% of complete data, with days coinciding at both times. To construct the vertical profiles of the variables, the density, specific humidity, and geopotential were calculated at each level through a mathematical approximation based on the Calculus. The Van der Waals-like atmosphere results showed that the latent heat content compensated for any change in enthalpy and potential energy from the surface to the mid-troposphere. Energy was exchanged among enthalpy, geopotential, and latent heat content, showing a roughly constant moist static energy. The moist static energy was a conserved quantity under adiabatic and hydrostatic transformations, although the dry static energy was not conserved. The results of the atmosphere as a Van Der Waals gas and the atmosphere as an ideal gas were compared, proving to be similar.