Name _____________________________________________ Date __________ Class ___________
Atmospheric Pressure and Cyclones
Air pressure is the force exerted on you by the weight of tiny
particles of air (air molecules). Although air molecules are
invisible, they still have weight and take up space. Since
there's a lot of "empty" space between air molecules, air can
be compressed to fit in a smaller volume.
When it's compressed, air is said to be "under high pressure".
Air at sea level is what we're used to, in fact, we're so used to
it that we forget we're actually feeling air pressure all the time!
Weather forecasters measure air pressure with a barometer.
Barometers are used to measure the current air pressure at a
particular location in "inches of mercury" or in "millibars" (mb).
A measurement of 29.92 inches of mercury is equivalent to 1013.2 millibar.
1. List the gases found in the Troposphere. _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. In the accompanying boxes with an H and L in the center, draw arrows to represent how an air
mass of High and Low pressure would move.
H
L
Use the table below to answer questions 3 through 7
3. According the diagram what is the units used to measure air pressure in this graph. ________________
4. What is the Air Pressure at sea level ______________________________________
Convert the air pressure at sea level in:
millibars ______________________________
inches of Mercury ______________________
5. Which has greater Density dry air or moist air? Explain ________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
6. Explain what happens to air pressure the higher you go in the atmosphere? __________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7. What is the relationship between Air Pressure and Water Vapor Concentration? _____________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Use the Map below to answer the following questions.
8. Draw the following Isobars: 1008, 1016, 1012, 1020 and 1024
9. Label the High and Low pressure Systems
Surface Pressure Map