TOPIC 5 – ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE ( 4 HRS )

OBJECTIVES : At the end of the lesson the students shall be able to;

a.) states that pressure equals force per unit area

b.) states that the atmosphere exerts a pressure on any surface placed
within it
c.) states that the atmospheric pressure on a unit area of a surface is
equal to the weight of the "air column" extending from that surface to
the outer fringes of the atmosphere
d.) explains states that atmospheric pressure decreases with height
above sea level
e.) states that atmospheric pressure acts in all directions
f.) states that the basic unit of pressure is N/m2
g.) states that 1 millibar = 10-3 bar = 102 N/m2
h.) states that the atmospheric pressure at sea level normally varies
between about 940 mbar and 1050 mbar
i.) states that the average pressure at sea level is 1013.2 mbar
j.) explains states that the surface pressure rises if air is added to the
'column' above the surface, and vice versa
k.) defines 'isobar'

Meteorologists are concerned about atmospheric pressure -- the pressure exerted by air
molecules. The pressure exerted by air molecules at a weather station is approximately the
weight of the air in a column that extends from a fixed area on the ground to the top of the
atmosphere. At sea level, the weight of a column of air on one square inch of area is roughly
14.7 pounds, resulting in an air pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch. For perspective, that
amounts to a total force of more than 1.5 tons on just the area covered by a single base on a
baseball field (a 15-inch by 15-inch area). Surprised?
Meteorologists typically don't work with pressure in pounds per square inch, however. Most
home barometers (instruments for measuring atmospheric pressure), for example, express
pressure in inches of mercury, which is based on the mercury barometer. Mercury barometers
measured pressure after air was evacuated from a glass tube, and the open end of the tube
was immersed in a reservoir of mercury, allowing air pressure to force mercury to rise in the
glass tube. At sea level, the standard height of the mercury column is 29.92 inches. More
commonly, meteorologists often work with pressure in units of millibars (abbreviated "mb").
For reference, an atmospheric pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch (when the height of a
Mercury barometer would be 29.92 inches) is equal to about 1013 millibars.

On this infrared satellite image, a large shield of clouds marks the domain of a moderately
strong low-pressure system off the Middle Atlantic Seaboard on January 13, 2002, while high
pressure fosters mainly clear skies over the Gulf States.
Credit: NOAA

The connection between surface pressure and the weight of a column of air that extends
above the surface has many important consequences. For starters, processes that reduce the
weight of an air column also act to decrease the surface pressure. On the other hand,
processes that add weight to air columns act to increase surface pressure. Evolving horizontal
patterns of air pressure are crucial to weather forecasting, which is one of the reasons why
forecasters pay such close attention to centers of highest and lowest pressure on weather
maps (typically marked by a blue "H" and a red "L", respectively). In a very general sense, low-
pressure systems tend to bring inclement weather (clouds and precipitation), while high
pressure systems tend to bring "fair" weather (sunshine and relatively calm conditions).

The bottom line here is that when you hear a meteorologist refer to a "low pressure system,"
he or she is really talking about is a "lightweight." In other words, the air column above the
center of a low weighs less than any of the surrounding air columns. On the flip side, a high
pressure system is a "heavyweight" because the air column above the center of the high
weighs more than any of the surrounding air columns. Now, I should point out that the
difference in pressure between a run-of-the mill high-pressure system and a pretty strong low-
pressure system is only about five percent. In the image on the right, for example, the
difference between the labeled high and low is only 32 millibars (1018 millibars - 986
millibars), so the difference was even less than five percent in this case. Still, these differences
have very important consequences for the weather, as you'll learn!
To get a feel for the range of pressures at sea-level, check out the graph below. Remember
that standard sea-level pressure is around 1013 millibars, while a very strong high pressure
system in the winter may measure around 1050 millibars. On the other hand, a representative
value for sea-level pressure at the center of a formidable low-pressure system that can cause,
for example, heavy snow during winter might be in the neighborhood of 960 to 980 mb.

This artificial trace of sea-level pressure (formally called a barograph trace) gives you a sense
of the range in sea-level pressure readings associated with notorious low- and high-pressure
systems in recent history. For sake of comparison, the barograph trace includes markers for
average sea-level pressure and typical values for generically strong high- and low-pressure
systems.
Credit: David Babb
The bottom of the observed range of sea-level pressures is populated by the "kings" of all low-
pressure systems on our planet -- hurricanes (called "typhoons" in some parts of the world).
Very intense hurricanes can have sea-level pressures down near 900 millibars. In 2017, for
example, at its peak intensity, Hurricane Maria(link is external) had a minimum sea-level
pressure of 908 millibars. The storm later went on to devastate Puerto Rico, and its fierce
winds completely destroyed the island's NEXRAD Doppler radar (this short video highlights
Maria's damage to Puerto Rico(link is external), and includes some stunning images of the
damage to the radar, if you're interested). A handful of hurricanes and typhoons globally have
even had sea-level pressures drop a bit below 900 millibars.
Ultimately, the pressures associated with very intense hurricanes and very strong high-
pressure systems in the winter (more than 1050 millibars) are pretty rare. As a general
guideline, nearly all sea-level pressures lie between 950 millibars and 1050 millibars, with most
sea-level pressure readings falling between 980 millibars and 1040 millibars.

You'll want to keep this range in mind, because it will come in handy as we interpret pressure
data from various maps. You also may have noticed that I was careful to specify "sea-level"
pressure when discussing pressure values. Why is that? You'll find out in the next section as
we explore contour maps of pressure (maps of "isobars"). Read on

Atmospheric Pressure - sometimes also called barometric pressure, is the pressure within the
atmosphere of Earth. Atmospheric pressure is caused by the weight of the atmosphere
pushing down on itself and on the surface below it. Pressure is defined as the force acting on
an object divided by the area upon which the force is acting.
Atmospheric pressure variation between about 940 hPa to 1050 hPa. (1 millibar = 1
hecto ... Mean sea level pressure (MSLP) is the pressure at sea level. This is the amount of
pressure reading, normally used on weather charts

What is 1 Atmospheric Pressure ?

Standard sea-level pressure, by definition, equals 760 mm (29.92 inches) of mercury,
14.70 pounds per square inch, 1,013.25 × 103 dynes per square centimetre, 1,013.25
millibars, one standard atmosphere, or 101.325 kilopascals.

What is Atmospheric Pressure of human body?

In fact, the standard value of atmospheric pressure is 14.7 pounds per square
Inch at sea level.

What is considered low Atmospheric Pressure?

When the air pressure drops, so does the mercury level." Atmospheric pressure can
also be measured in millibars (mb), with a "bar" being roughly equivalent to one
atmosphere of pressure (one atmosphere equals 1.01325 bars). One bar is equivalent to 29.6
in. Hg. A barometer reading of 30 inches (Hg) is considered normal.

Does a barometric pressure rise or fall before the storm?

As the air descends, it warms, which inhibits the formation of clouds and storm systems.
So high pressure is almost always a sign of good or fair weather. Air, however, wants to rise. ...
A barometer that is falling indicates that a low pressure system is moving in, and you can
expect poorer weather.

ISOBAR - a line on a map connecting points having the same atmospheric pressure at a given
time or on average over a given period. They can be used to find areas of low or high pressure
over a broad area (like the U.S.), and they can tell us how intense the system may be. ... The
lines circling them are isobars.