Atmospheric pressure is one of the most importantclimatic characteristics affecting weather conditions and humans. It promotes the formation of cyclones and anticyclones, provokes the development of cardiovascular diseases in humans. Evidence that air has weight was obtained as early as the 17th century; since then, the process of studying its oscillations has been one of the central for weather forecasters.
What is the atmosphere
Слово «атмосфера» имеет греческое происхождение, Literally, it translates as "pairs" and "ball." It is a gas envelope around the planet, which rotates with it and forms a single cosmic body. It extends from the earth's crust, penetrating into the hydrosphere, and ends with the exosphere, gradually flowing into interplanetary space.
The atmosphere of the planet is its most important elementproviding the possibility of life on Earth. It contains the necessary oxygen man, it depends on the weather indicators. The boundaries of the atmosphere are very conditional. It is believed that they begin at a distance of about 1000 kilometers from the surface of the earth and then at a distance of another 300 kilometers smoothly pass into interplanetary space. According to the theories adhered to by NASA, this gas envelope ends at an altitude of about 100 kilometers.
It arose as a result of the eruption of volcanoes and the evaporation of substances in cosmic bodies that fell on the planet. Today, the Earth’s atmosphere consists of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and other gases.
History of the discovery of atmospheric pressure
Until the 17th century, humanity did not think aboutDoes air have mass? There was no idea that such atmospheric pressure. However, when the Duke of Tuscany decided to equip the famous Florentine gardens with fountains, his project failed miserably. The height of the water column did not exceed 10 meters, which contradicted all ideas about the laws of nature at that time. This is where the story of the discovery of atmospheric pressure begins.
Изучением этого феномена занялся ученик Галилея, Italian physicist and mathematician Evangelista Torricelli. With the help of experiments on a heavier element, mercury, a few years later he managed to prove the presence of weight in the air. He first created a vacuum in the laboratory and developed the first barometer. Torricelli represented a glass tube filled with mercury, in which, under the influence of pressure, there remained such an amount of substance that would equalize the pressure of the atmosphere. For mercury, the height of the pillar was 760 mm. For water - 10.3 meters, this is exactly the height, which rose the fountains in the gardens of Florence. It was he who discovered for humanity what atmospheric pressure is and how it affects human life. The airless space in the tube was named in his honor "Torricellian emptiness".
Why and as a result, atmospheric pressure is created
One of the key tools of meteorology isstudy of the movement and movement of air masses. Thanks to this, it is possible to get an idea of how atmospheric pressure is created. After it was proved that air has weight, it became clear that it, like any other body on the planet, is affected by gravity. This is the reason for the occurrence of pressure when the atmosphere is under the influence of gravity. Atmospheric pressure may fluctuate due to differences in air mass at different sites.
Where there is more air, it is morehigh In a rarefied space, a decrease in atmospheric pressure is observed. The reason for the change in air mass lies in its temperature. It does not heat from the rays of the sun, but from the surface of the earth. When heated, the air becomes lighter and rises, while the cooled air masses descend, creating a constant, continuous movement of air masses. Each of these flows has a different atmospheric pressure, which provokes the appearance of winds on the surface of our planet.
Weather effect
Atmospheric pressure is one of the key terms.in meteorology. The weather on Earth is formed due to the impact of cyclones and anticyclones, which are formed under the influence of pressure drops in the gas envelope of the planet. Anticyclones are characterized by high rates (up to 800 mm of mercury and higher) and low speed of movement, while cyclones are areas with lower rates and high speed. Tornadoes, hurricanes, and tornadoes are also formed due to abrupt changes in atmospheric pressure — it rapidly falls inside the tornado, reaching 560 mm of mercury.
Air movement causes a change in weather.conditions The winds arising between areas with different pressure levels, distilled cyclones and anticyclones, as a result of which atmospheric pressure is created, which creates certain weather conditions. These movements are rarely systematic and very difficult to predict. In zones where high and low atmospheric pressure collide, climatic conditions change.
Standard indicators
Средним показателем в идеальных условиях The level of 760 mm of mercury is considered. The pressure level varies with altitude: at lowlands or areas located below sea level, the pressure will be higher at altitude where the air is rarefied, on the contrary, its performance decreases by 1 mm Hg with each kilometer.
Low atmospheric pressure
It decreases with increasing altitude due to its distance from the Earth’s surface. In the first case, this process is explained by a decrease in the effect of gravitational forces.
Нагреваясь от Земли, газы, из которых состоит the air expands, their mass becomes lighter, and they rise to higher layers of the atmosphere. The movement occurs until the neighboring air masses are less dense, then the air spreads to the sides, and the pressure levels off.
Traditional territories with loweratmospheric pressure are considered tropics. In equatorial areas, there is always a reduced pressure. However, zones with high and low rates are unevenly distributed over the Earth: in one geographic latitude there may be areas with different levels.
Increased atmospheric pressure
The highest level on Earth is observed onSouth and North Poles. This is explained by the fact that the air above the cold surface becomes cold and dense, its mass increases, therefore, it is more attracted to the surface by gravity. It descends, and the space above it is filled with warmer air masses, as a result of which atmospheric pressure is created with an elevated level.
Effects on humans
Нормальные показатели, характерные для местности person’s residence should not have any effect on his or her well-being. However, atmospheric pressure and life on Earth are inextricably linked. Changing it - raising or lowering - can trigger the development of cardiovascular diseases in people with high blood pressure. A person may experience pain in the heart, bouts of gratuitous headache, reduced performance.
Для людей, страдающих заболеваниями дыхательных ways, dangerous can be anticyclones, bringing increased pressure. The air falls and becomes more dense, the concentration of harmful substances increases.
During fluctuations in atmospheric pressure in humans, immunity decreases, the level of leukocytes in the blood, so it is not recommended on such days to load the body physically or intellectually.
