Download: RSS | Email Alerts | Mobile
Print this Story
Set Text Size SmallSet Text Size MediumSet Text Size LargeSet Text Size X-Large

Air Pressure - Jan. 16, 2009


Last Update: 1/18 2:26 pm
     Yes.  A barometer measures the atmospheric pressure, which is essentially
the weight of the air.  This force can be tracked, which helps meteorologists
forecast the weather.

      Meteorologists use a unit of force called the newton to measure air pressure. 
Our average sea level pressure is 101,325 newtons per square meter.  This is
1,013.25 millibars or 29.82 inches of mercury.
 
     If the pressure is 1,024 millibars this would be a force of about 15 pounds
per square inch on your body.  The reason it doesn’t crush a person is the fact that
inside our bodies there is also pressure pushing out.  They are basically the same,
but when you ascend rapidly in an airplane, or even in an elevator, the outside air
pressure lowers, and the pressure inside your body becomes greater.  The
ear popping is the higher pressure inside your body escaping to equalize the
pressure.   

     Commercial aircrafts have pressurized cabins when the doors are closed. 
However, if the cabin is not pressurized soon enough, ears will pop as the pressure outside the airplane decreases.  If this happens while you fly, just tell the person next
to you that air is escaping from your body’s openings, but be sure to explain
what you mean!

       If you have a weather question for Dan, send it to: askdan@kjrh.com


Most Popular
Scripps TV Station Group
© 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co.
Privacy Policy (Updated) | Terms of Use (Updated) | EEO
More news and information
from our local news partners
  This site is hosted and managed by Inergize Digital.