Name: KEY
Earth Science
Date:
Air Pressure
Base your answers to question 1 and 2 on the data table below, which shows the air temperature, in
degrees Fahrenheit, and air pressure, in inches of mercury (Hg), recorded at a weather station in
New York State from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on a day in September.
1. On the grid below, construct a line graph by plotting the data for the air temperature for each time
from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Connect the plots with a line. The data for air pressure have been plotted.
2. State the relationship between air temperature and air pressure from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Indirect – as air temperature increases, air pressure decreases.
Base your answers to questions 3 through 8 on the data table below which shows recordings made
by instruments carried into the atmosphere by a weather balloon.
Altitude of Balloon Above
Atmospheric Pressure
Ground Level (km)
Recorded (mb)
0.0
1013.2
1.0
900
2.0
800
3.0
700
4.0
5.0
6.0
620
540
470
7.0
410
.0
9.0
10.0
360
300
265
3. On the grid on the next page, construct a line graph by plotting the atmospheric pressure recorded
for each altitude of the balloon above ground. Connect the plots with a line.
4. State the relationship between altitude and air pressure. Look at your graph.
Indirect – as altitude increases, air pressure decreases.
5. Based on the data above, which would be the easiest to predict?
a. the density of the air at an altitude of 19.0 km
b. the maximum altitude of the balloon during future flights
c. the atmospheric pressure at an altitude of 11 km
d. the time it will take for the balloon to descend
6. Which layer of the atmosphere was the balloon found at the maximum altitude in the data table?
a. troposphere
c. mesosphere
b. stratosphere
d. thermosphere
7. What is the most abundant element in the atmosphere surrounding this balloon?
a. hydrogen
c. oxygen
b. nitrogen
d. carbon dioxide
8. How did water vapor content and air temperature change as the balloon’s altitude increased?
a. Water vapor content and air temperature both decreased.
b. Water vapor content and air temperature both increased.
c. Water vapor content increased and air temperature decreased.
d. Water vapor content decreased and air temperature increased.
9. Air pressure is usually lowest when the air is
a. cool and humid
b. cool and dry
c. warm and humid
d. warm and dry
10. Which map best represents the surface wind pattern around a Northern Hemisphere low-pressure
center?
11. Which map view best represents the pattern of isobar values, in millibars, and the pattern of wind
flow, shown by arrows, at Earth’s surface surrounding a Northern Hemisphere high-pressure
center?