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Air Pressure

Air Pressure. Air has mass and volume, therefore it exerts pressure. Air Pressure-what is it?. Air pressure is also known as atmospheric pressure or barometric pressure; It is a measure of the weight of air pressing down on a given area of Earth’s surface;

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Air Pressure

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  1. Air Pressure Air has mass and volume, therefore it exerts pressure

  2. Air Pressure-what is it? • Air pressure is also known as atmospheric pressure or barometric pressure; • It is a measure of the weight of air pressing down on a given area of Earth’s surface; • It is caused by the weight of the air from the top of the atmosphere pressing down on the layers of air below; • The layers press down on each other because gravity pulls the air molecules down.

  3. Barometer=Instrument to measure air pressure • Air has mass and volume; as a result, it exerts pressure; • Air is also considered to be a fluid as it has the ability to take the shape of its container and to flow; • Meteorologists use an instrument called a BAROMETER to measure changes in air pressure; • The data is reported in units of inches.

  4. High and low pressure systems • High pressure systems= regions of sinking cool air or anticyclones; (high pressure=cold air=air is heavy and sinks) • Low pressure systems= regions of rising warm moist air or cyclones or depressions (low pressure=warm air=air is light and it rises). • -areas of high pressure (thumb up) is usually associated with fair, nice weather; • -areas of low pressure (thumb down) is usually associated with rainy and stormy weather.

  5. Isobars • -meteorologists identify air masses as high and low pressure by collecting barometric pressure data from weather reporting stations; • -barometric pressure data is plotted on a map and lines are drawn to connect areas of equal pressure (= known as isobars); • -barometric pressure decreases as one moves to the center of the low pressure area; barometric pressure increases as one moves to the center of a high-pressure area.

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