Atmospheric Pressure

•The Atmospheric Pressure at any level is the

weight of the column of air of unit cross
section extending vertically to the top of the
atmosphere.
•Amount of air in column decreases with
height , pressure also decreases with height.
 Measurement
•Pressure is accurately measured by mercury
barometer.
• atmospheric Pressure is balanced by height of the
mercury column.

Barometer
• Mercury barometer: 1. Fortin (moving cistern)
2. Kew Pattern (Fixed cistern)
• Aneroid barometer
 Unit Of Atmospheric pressure
•ICAO has adopted hecto-pascal (hPa) as its unit.
1 hPa = 100 Pa (N/sqm)
• Atmospheric Pressure at sea level is about
1,00,000 Pa (N/sqm) also called 1 bar.
• 1 bar = 1,00,000 Pa = 1,000 hPa or mb
1000 millibar (mb) = 1 bar = 1,00,000Pa
1 millibar (mb) = 100 Pa = 1 hPa
• other unit of Atm. Pressure are “mm of Hg or
inches”
1 bar = 750.06 mm of Hg (torr) = 29.53 inches
1 mm of Hg = 1 torr
• Under ISA condition mean sea level pressure is
1013.25 hPa = 760mm (torr) = 29.92 inches
 standard condition
•Mercury Barometer yield true pressure
under standard condition of
Temperature=0O
Gravity = 9.80665 m/sec2
Corrections for non standard
condition
• Index Correction : Indicated on calibration
certificate
• Temperature Correction
• Gravity Correction
• Height correction (for MSLP)
Variation of pressure with altitude
• At higher altitudes the pressure is lower as there is
less air above any level than the earth surface.
• pressure decreases with height, at a decreasing
rate from sea level to 600m 4%
from 600m up to 1.5 Km 3%
from 1.5 Km up to 3.0 Km 2.5%
• At 6 Km reduces to half the value at sea level.
• At 100 Km it is negligible can be regarded as
vaccum.
• Pressure at any place in the atmosphere is result
of weight of air above that place.
• Pressure decreases with height but rate is not
constant, greater near the surface than the higher
levels.
• Rate of pressure-fall with height depends on
temperature also , as density depends on
temperature.
• Assume Pressure at surface level is same in warm
& cold air.
• As rate of decrease of pressure with height is more
in cold air than that of warm air. So PA > PB
• PA • PB

Warm air Cold air

In ISA conditions, 1 hPa pressure change at
different heights roughly corresponds to:

At MSL 27 ft (09 m)
2,000 ft 30 ft

20,000 ft 50ft

40,000 ft 100 ft

•If air is warmer than ISA changes in heights will

be more than above values.
• If air is colder than ISA changes in heights will be
less than above values.
 Pressure variation in middle latitudes
Altitude (Kilometre) Pressure (Millibar)
10 265

20 55.3

30 12.0

40 2.87

50 0.798

60 0.225

70 0.0552

80 0.0104

90 0.0016

100 0.0003
 Altimetry
• Altimeter is an aneroid barometer with its scale
graduated to read altitude instead of pressure.
• In the ISA a particular value of pressure will be
equivalent to a specified height value and this
pressure height relationship becomes the basis
of graduation of pressure altimeter (I.C.A.N.
altimeter).

•
Pressure (hPa) Altitude (Feet) Temperature (0C)
1013 0 +15
977 1000 +13
942 2000 +11
908 3000 +9.1
875 4000 +7.1
843 5000 +5.1
812 6000 +3.1
782 7000 +1.1
753 8000 - 0.8
724 9000 - 2.8
697 10000 - 4.8
•Altimeter has a sub scale, which can be set to the
desired value of pressure.
• In ISA datum level pressure is 1013.25 hPa
• As actual atmospheric conditions seldom
correspond to those of ISA.
• Actual atmospheric pressure at a particular place
could be higher or lower than 1013.25 hPa.
• If it is higher, zero height or datum level will be
at lower level.
• Altimeter will read low(sub scale set at 1013.2
hPa) when pressure at sea level is higher than
standard.

True elevation Height indicated

when sub scale set at 1013.2 hPa
1013.25 hPa

1017 hPa Mean sea level

• Magnitude of this error is approximately 9m for 1
hPa.
• in this case error = (1017 – 1013.25) X 9 m
= 3.75 X 9 m
= 33.75 m
• To know actual elevation pilot will add 33.75m to
indicated elevation (sub scale set to 1013.25 hPa) or
he will set sub scale to 1017 hPa.
• If it is lower, zero height or datum level will be at
higher level.
• Altimeter will read high (sub scale set at 1013.2
hPa) when pressure at sea level is lower than
standard.

True elevation
Height indicated
when sub scale set at 1013.2 hPa
1010 hPa Mean sea level
1013.25 hPa
• Magnitude of this error is approximately 9m for 1
hPa.
• in this case error = (1013.25 - 1010) X 9 m
= 3.25 X 9 m
= 29.25 m
• To know actual elevation pilot will subtract
29.25m to indicated elevation (sub scale set to
1013.25 hPa) or he will set sub scale to 1010 hPa.
• When the pressure at zero or datum level is lower
than standard, altimeter reads high.
• When the pressure at zero or datum level is
higher than standard, altimeter reads low.
• “Standard” indicates any initial setting of
pressure on sub scale, here it is taken as 1013.25
hPa.
• Isobar is the line joining places of equal pressure.
• The isobars dip from H to L and rise from L to H.
H – High pressure area
L – low pressure area
 TEMPERATURE ERROR
• Height of any pressure level in atmosphere
depends on
1. pressure at surface (discussed earlier)
2. Mean temperature between pressure level &
ground.
• Higher temperature increases the thickness of
the layer so increases the height of pressure
levels.
• Lower temperature decreases the thickness of the
layer so decreases the height of pressure levels.
• Height of pressure levels over A are less than
those over B.
Warm air
800 hPa
Cold air
900 hPa

1000 hPa

1013 hPa A B
• Error is proportional
1. deviation of temperature from ISA.
2. Vertical distance over which
temperature departure is effective.
• Error = 4% of Indicated height for every 100c
departure from ISA.
• At datum level error is zero.
•Error is small portion of indicated height, it is quit
small at low altitudes and may be ignored.
• Mean Sea Level (MSL) – a reference level
taking average of high & low tides.
• Altitude – It is vertical distance from Mean
Sea Level.
• Height – It is vertical distance from specific
datum.
• Elevation – The vertical distance of a point or
a level on the surface of the earth from MSL.
 Transition Altitude (TA)
This is the highest altitude below which an
aircraft will always fly on local QNH. At or
below TA the vertical position of an aircraft is
controlled with reference to height above the
aerodrome.
 Transition Level (TL)
The lowest flight level above which an
aircraft will always fly on standard QNH
1013.25 hPa. Above TL the vertical position
of an aircraft is from the datum 1013.25 hPa.
TL is expressed in hundreds of feet.
Transition Layer
The air space between TA & TL.
 FLIGHT LEVEL
• Flight levels, under ISA condition, are defined as
surface of constant atmospheric pressure related to a
specific datum 1013.25 hPa and separated by specific
pressure intervals, corresponding to 500 ft.
• Flight levels are numbered as 05, 10, 15, 20 and so
on located at 500 ft, 1000 ft, 1500 ft, 2000 ft,
...respectively.
 STANDARD ISOBARIC LEVEL
• Corresponding to ISA pressure the Pressure
Altitude (Ft) and Flight Levels are as follows
Pressure Level (hPa) Pressure Altitude (PA) Flight Level (= PA/100)
850 5,000 1500 m 50
700 10,000 3000 m 100
600 14,000 4,200 m 140
500 18,000 5,400 m 180
400 24,000 7,200 m 240
300 30,000 9,000 m 300
250 34,000 10,200 340
m
200 38,000 11,400 m 380
150 45,000 13,500 m 450
100 53,000 15,900 m 530
 ALTIMETER SETTINGS
• QFE – The pressure corrected to official airfield
elevation or pressure at the Aerodrome Reference
Point (ARP), which is the highest point on the runway.
•An altimeter set to the particular airfield QFE,
(a) reads zero when aircraft is on the
ground (strictly the height of altimeter above the
ground).
(b). Reads height above official airfield
detum.
QNH – The pressure reduced to MSL, assuming ISA
temperature profile from station airfield to MSL.
An altimeter set to airfield QNH reads the elevation of
the airfield when on ground.
QFF – Barometric pressure reduced to MSL assuming
an isothermal atmosphere from the airfield/station to
MSL using. This value is used for plotting on synoptic
charts & drawing isobars.
QNE – It is the altitude indicated on an altimeter when
the sub scale is set to 1013.25 (29.92 inches)
a