Which of the following causes adiabatic temperature changes in atmosphere?

Adiabatic temperature changes in the atmosphere occur without the exchange of heat between an air parcel and its surrounding environment [4]. These changes are primarily driven by the expansion and compression of air as it moves vertically. When an air parcel rises, it encounters lower atmospheric pressure, causing it to expand; this expansion reduces the heat available per unit volume, leading to a drop in temperature known as adiabatic cooling. Conversely, when air descends, it is compressed by higher pressure, which results in adiabatic warming [2]. While the release of latent heat of condensation can modify the rate of cooling (creating the saturated adiabatic lapse rate), the fundamental cause of the adiabatic process itself is the work done during expansion or compression [4]. Other processes like advection or radiation involve external heat transfer or mixing and are thus non-adiabatic.

Sources

1. [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 24: Hydrological Cycle (Water Cycle) > Adiabatic Temperature Changes > p. 330
2. [4] https://armgov.svcs.arm.gov/resources/glossary