2.

Atmospheric pressure
 Molecular view of atmospheric pressure

gravity random
motion

• Weight of all air molecules is propagated to surface

by random motion of molecules

• Random motion of molecules causes pressure to be

applied in all directions

EARTH SURFACE
Measurement of atmospheric pressure with the mercury barometer

vacuum

atmospheric pressure
h (weight of atmosphere per unit area of surface)
A
Atmospheric pressure p = pA = rHg gh

SI unit for pressure is the Pascal (Pa): 1 Pa = 1 kg m-1 s-2

Mean sea-level pressure:

p = 1.013x105 Pa = 1013 hPa
= 1013 mb
= 1 atm
= 760 mm Hg (torr)
 Today’s sea-level pressure map

Pressures are in a narrow range 1005-1047 hPa

https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/day0-7loop.html
 Why are sea-level pressure gradients so weak?
Consider a pressure gradient at sea level operating on an elementary air parcel
dxdydz with mass dm = ρadxdydz where ρa is the air density:
p(x) p(x+dx) dF  p ( x)dydz  p ( x  dx )dydz
Vertical area
dydz Pressure-gradient force =  dpdydz
Exerted force dF 1 dp
p(x)dydz Acceleration a p  
dm ρ a dx
For Dp = 10 hPa over Dx = 100 km, a  10-2 m s-2 a 100 km/h wind in 3 h!
Wind transports air to from high to low pressure, decreasing Dp
On mountains, the surface pressure is lower, and the pressure-gradient force along the
Earth surface is balanced by gravity:
p(z+Dz) p-gradient

gravity

p(z)
 Total mass ma of the atmosphere

Radius of Earth: Mean pressure at Earth's surface: 984 hPa

6380 km (less than 1013 hPa because of elevated land)

4 R 2 psurface 18
ma   5.13  10 kg
g
9.81 m s-2 (atmosphere is thin enough
Total number of moles of air in atmosphere: that this can be considered constant)
ma
Na   1.8  1020 moles
Ma

Mol. wt. of air: 29 g mole-1 = 0.029 kg mole-1

Molecular weight of air:
M a   Ci M i  C N 2 M N 2  CO 2 M O 2  C Ar M Ar  (0.78  28)  (0.21 32)  (0.01 40)  29.0 g mol 1
i
 Mean vertical profiles of pressure and temperature

Stratopause

Tropopause

Troposphere has 85% of atmospheric mass, stratosphere has 15%, little above
 Decrease of pressure with altitude: barometric law
Consider elementary slab of atmosphere at equilibrium between gravity and p-gradient
forces:
1 dp
 1 dp dp hydrostatic
a dz  g   a g equation
p(z+dz)  a dz dz
for fluids
p(z)
g

unit area
pM a dp Mag
Ideal gas law: a    dz
RT p RT
Assume uniform T and integrate:

z/H RT
p( z )  p(0)e with scale height H   7.4 km (T  250 K)
Mag
barometric law p( z )
p( z  H )   0.37 p( z )
e
na ( z )  na (0)e  z / H p( z )
p ( z  5km) 
2
Application of barometric law: the sea-breeze effect