ESS124
Prof.
Jin-Yi Yu
Pressure As
a Vertical Coordinate
•Each altitude above a point on the Earth’s surface has a unique value of pressure.
•Pressure can be easily substituted for altitude as a coordinate to specify locations in the vertical.
•Rawinsondes determine the
height of the instrument above
Earth’s surface by measuring
pressure.
•Because
aircraft fly on constant pressure surfaces, upper air weather maps, first used extensively during World War
II, traditionally have been plotted on constant pressure surface.
• Fluid dynamics theories
and equations that explain atmospheric motions are often in a more concise forms when they
use pressure as a vertical coordinate.