Question

Explain the temperature wind air pressure

Answer 1

Five Factors That Determine Weather

First of all, what is meant by the term weather? Weather is simply the current state of the atmosphere at a specific location at any given point in time. We use this term correctly when we ask a friend in another part of the world 'What is the weather like there?' Weather can change very rapidly at times, varying hour to hour or even minute to minute. We have all heard the saying, 'If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes, and it will change.' This is different than climate, which refers to the long-term average of the daily weather for that location.

There are five factors that determine the state and condition of the atmosphere and, therefore, influence and determine the weather. They include:

temperatureair pressurehumiditycloudinesswind

These factors can cause different properties in sections of the atmosphere or air masses. We often might think of the atmosphere as a large ball of air that encircles the Earth. While that is true, it is broken up into distinct sections with different physical properties. These properties are determined by the five factors just mentioned, and the differences in the properties between air masses are what cause the changes in our weather.

Temperature

The first of these air mass factors that determines weather is temperature. Temperature is the amount of heat contained in an object, in this case, the air. The amount of heat in the air determines the speed of the molecules in the air. The more heat, the faster the molecules move, raising the temperature. The heat in the atmosphere comes from the sun and varies at different levels in the atmosphere. The layers of the atmosphere are determined generally by their temperature. Near the surface of the Earth, the temperature is a factor of how much sunlight an area receives, how much is changed into heat at the Earth's surface and how much of that heat is held near the surface by greenhouse gases or cloud cover. The higher the elevation above the ground, the cooler the air is. Temperature is measured using a thermometer in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius.

Pressure

The next factor that influences the kind of weather we might have is the amount of air pressure in an air mass. Air pressure is the amount of pressure exerted by the air in a particular air mass. If you have ever traveled in an elevator up a very tall building, driven a car up a mountain or flew in an airplane, you probably noticed the change in the air pressure affecting your ears. Air pressure is determined by the amount of air that is pushing down on you from the atmosphere. The higher you are, the less air is pushing on you, so there is less pressure. Air pressure is also called barometric pressure because it is measured using a barometer and commonly measured in inches of mercury.

Just as altitude determines the amount of pressure on you, air masses can have differing amounts of pressure. Some air masses have high pressure, where air is piled up and exerts more pressure, and some have air that is thinner or more spread out to produce low pressure. When the air mass where you are is under high pressure, it is clearer because air sinks and warms, absorbing more moisture, while low-pressure systems are cooler and cloudier, often producing storms. In this image taken from space, the area of high pressure is the clear sky, surrounded by the clouds, where there is low pressure.