What does the air in the troposphere do as it heats?
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What does the air in the troposphere do as it heats?
The uneven heating of the regions of the troposphere by the sun ( the sun warms the air at the equator more than the air at the poles )causes convection currents, large-scale patterns of winds that move heat and moisture around the globe. As air rises, expands, and cools, water vapor condenses and clouds develop.
What happens to the air in the troposphere?
Air is warmest at the bottom of the troposphere near ground level. Air gets colder as one rises through the troposphere. That’s why the peaks of tall mountains can be snow-covered even in the summertime. Air pressure and the density of the air also decrease with altitude.
Why does air mix in the troposphere?
The warm air near the surface rises and cool air higher in the troposphere sinks. So air in the troposphere does a lot of mixing. The cold ground cools the air that sits above it, making this low layer of air denser than the air above it.
What is the air like in the troposphere?
The air is densest in this lowest layer. In fact, the troposphere contains three-quarters of the mass of the entire atmosphere. The air here is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. The last 1% is made of argon, water vapor, and carbon dioxide.
What is the air density of the troposphere?
approximately 1.225 kg/m3
At 101.325 kPa (abs) and 15 °C, air has a density of approximately 1.225 kg/m3 (or 0.0765 pounds/ft3), about 1/800 that of water according to ISA (International Standard Atmosphere).
Why does air pressure decrease from the troposphere to the exosphere?
Chuck W. Atmospheric pressure in the troposphere drops by about 1 inch of mercury for every thousand feet of altitude above sea level. Gravity of the earth holds our atmosphere close to the surface, so the density (and pressure) of air gets gradually lower as you go to higher altitude.
Why does the troposphere have the greatest air pressure?
The troposphere contains approximately 80% of the mass of the atmosphere of the Earth. The troposphere is denser than all its overlying atmospheric layers because a larger atmospheric weight sits on top of the troposphere and causes it to be most severely compressed.
Does air pressure increase or decrease in the troposphere?
Atmospheric pressure in the troposphere drops by about 1 inch of mercury for every thousand feet of altitude above sea level. Gravity of the earth holds our atmosphere close to the surface, so the density (and pressure) of air gets gradually lower as you go to higher altitude.
What is the air composition in troposphere?
| COMPOSITION OF THE TROPOSPHERE | ||
|---|---|---|
| GAS | Today’s Amount % | Mesozoic* |
| Nitrogen | 78.0 | 70.0 |
| Oxygen | 21.0 | 27.0 |
| Argon | 0.9 | 0.9 |
What is the air pressure in the troposphere?
Composition Atmosphere and Structure This first layer is called the troposphere, and ranges in pressure from over 1,000 millibars at sea level to 100 millibars at the top of the layer, the tropopause.
Why does the troposphere have high air pressure?
The lowest layer, the troposphere, starts at sea level and reaches a height of 10 km (7 miles). 90% of all the molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere are found here. The greatest amount of air pressure is in this layer because most of the air molecules are in this area.