Air Pressure

Pressure variations across the Earth

Air pressure is the force exerted by the weight of a column of air above a particular
location. To conceptualize the notion of air pressure, imagine a sealed container full
of air as shown in Figure AC.1. When the molecules of air collide with the inside
surfaces of the container they exert a pressure. The amount of pressure they exert
depends on the number of collisions that occur between the molecules and the inside
surface of the container. We can change the pressure in two ways. First, we can
increase the density of the air by either putting more air molecules into the container
or reducing the volume of the container. Secondly, we can increase the temperature
of the air to make the molecules move faster and thus collide with the sides more
often. Therefore, changes in air pressure can come about by changes in air density
or temperature.
In nature, pressure variations across the surface of the Earth are created by
mechanical or thermal means. Mechanical changes in pressure occur when air flow is
impeded causing a mass of air to build up over a particular location thus increasing
air pressure. Heating and cooling the air (thermal mechanisms) also create variations
in air pressure. When air is heated it rises, and if pushed away aloft, surface air
pressure decreases. Conversely if air is cooled, it subsides toward the surface
causing air pressure to increase.

Figure AC.1 Air pressure within a sealed container.

Figure AC.2 A mercury barometer.

Air pressure is measured using a
barometer. Several different barometers
exist, two of the most common are the
mercury barometer and the aneroid
barometer. The mercury barometer is a
tube with a reservoir of mercury at one
end. Under average sea level conditions,
the atmosphere exerts enough pressure
to push a column of mercury up to the

height of 29.92 inches. The aneroid barometer uses an aneroid or sylphon cell to
measure pressure. The aneroid cell is a metal chamber that expands and contracts
with changing air pressure. Though inches of mercury are often reported on your
daily weather forecast (especially in the United States), meteorologists use millibars
as the units of measurement for air pressure. Under average sea level conditions the
atmospheric pressure is 1013.2 millibars (29.92 inches of mercury). Average sea
level pressure serves as the division between what we call "high pressure" and "low
pressure" at the surface. High pressure is defined as values greater than 1013.2
mb and low pressure is below 1013.2 mb.