abstract:In meteorology, convective available potential energy (CAPE), sometimes, simply, available potential energy (APE), is the amount of energy a parcel of air would have if lifted a certain distance vertically through the atmosphere. CAPE is effectively the positive buoyancy of an air parcel and is an indicator of atmospheric instability, which makes it very valuable in predicting severe weather.
Thestrongverticaltemperaturegradient is sometimesmoreindicativethan the convectiveavailablepotential energyin making potentialprediction of severe convective storms.