Atmospheric Pressure

Imagine air as a giant, invisible ocean that we live at the bottom of. Even though we cannot see it, the air is constantly pushing on us from all sides. When the air is heavy and pushes hard, it keeps the sky clear and the weather calm. When the air is light and does not push as much, it lets clouds and storms bubble up into the sky. Weather forecasters watch these changes in push to tell if a storm is coming or if it will be a sunny day.

You are always held in the embrace of the atmosphere. You are never truly empty. The air is hugging you right now with 14.7 pounds per square inch. That is not nothing. That is everything.

Barometric pressure is force per unit area exerted by the weight of the atmosphere. Horizontal pressure gradients are primary drivers of geostrophic winds. Nature abhors a vacuum and always seeks equilibrium. This connects to fluid dynamics and physics — the same principle governing weather systems governs blood flow and ocean currents.

SOUND: The pop in your ears when you drive up a high mountain.

SMELL: The sharp, thin scent of high-altitude mountain air.

TASTE: Slightly metallic taste of air just before a massive thunderstorm.

TOUCH: A weight lifting off your chest as a storm clears.

SIGHT: The deep, dark blue of a high-pressure, clear-sky day.

BODY: Subtle joint aches when pressure drops: your body is a barometer.

Music: Laps Around the Sun by Ziggy Alberts

Music: Chicken Fried by Zac Brown Band

Music: Lotus Flower by Radiohead

Part of Sky & Weather — NATURE — Education Revelation