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Simply put, there's less of it to push down on you the higher you get. Atmospheric pressure is the pressure of all the air above you, pushing down. The higher up you get, the less atmosphere is above you to press down, so less pressure.

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15y ago
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15y ago

The higher in elevation, the less dense the air. It is very much like going under water where the deeper you go, the denser the water and the higher the pressure due to the weight of the water pressing down from above.

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13y ago

There is a temperature gradient in the lower atmosphere, on average the temperature falls with increasing elevation. This is because as the air is transparent to the sunlight the air effectively heated at or near the earth's surface. Also the density of the atmosphere decreases with height.

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15y ago

Many answers (some better than others). Here are two explanations: The logical way of thinking is that pressure is formed because of the presence of particles. Particles have mass. Things with mass are influenced by gravity. The closer a mass is to the center of the earth (lower altitude), the more pull it receives from the earth. So this gravity pulls most of the mass close to it. Another thought: Because each particle has mass, we can substitute other things, so it's more visual. Take a tub of water, actually a pool. Where is the pressure greatest, at the bottom or top? Bottom, right? Gravity pulls the water molecules down making it denser. Besides that, there's more water, causing the pressure of the water on the bottom to be higher.

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11y ago

The earth's gravity has less pull on the atmosphere, therefore the pressure exerted on an object at a higher altitude will be less. Similarly, as you get closer to the core of the earth there will be much more atmospheric pressure exerted on you.

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10y ago

The more you go up in the atmosphere, the less air there is on top of you. That's why the air pressure decreases.

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Q: Why the pressure of the atmosphere decreases with increasing altitude?
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Related questions

How does air pressure change with altitude in the atmosphere?

air grows thinner so it gives less pressure on the earth's surface


Does pressure increase as you are increasing altitude?

No. Atmospheric pressure decreases as altitude increases.


Does air pressure increase with the altitude?

No, air pressure decreases with altitude. As you go farther towards earth's surface, the weight of the atmosphere presses down with increasing force.


When altitude increases does air density?

The density of the atmosphere decreases with altitude.


What happens to air pressure's rate of change as altitude increases?

The rate of change of air pressure as a function of increasing altitude decreases with increasing altitude.


How does pressure change as you increase in altitude within your atmosphere?

it decreases


Why does the air pressure change the altitude in the atmosphere?

As the amount of air above us decreases...the air pressure decreases.


Why does air cool when it rises though the atmosphere?

As air rises it decompresses, as pressure decreases with increasing altitude. All gasses cool when decompressed. This process is called adiabatic cooling.


What is the difference between altitude and air pressure?

Air pressure is the amount of pressure exerted by Earth's atmosphere in a specific place, while altitude is the vertical distance of an object or place from sea level. Air pressure decreases as altitude increases, since there is less atmosphere to exert pressure.


What effect on air pressure with altitude explain briefly?

As altitude increases, air pressure decreases. As altitude decreases, air pressure increases.


Why density of air decreases with increase in height?

The density of air decreases with increasing altitude because air at high altitudes is under less pressure.


How does altitude affect density and pressure?

Air pressure decreases as altitude increases. As air pressure decreases, so does density.