Temperature/Levels » Potential Temperature (Theta) Definition
Definition: Potential Temperature
The potential temperature (theta) is the temperature that a sample of air would have if it were brought dry-adiabatically to a pressure of 1000 hPa.
Potential temperature is commonly expressed in kelvins. However, in this module we will use °C for the sake of convenience. To convert from K to °C, simply subtract 273.15.