07. Hydrostatic Balance

The Atmosphere, the Ocean and Environmental Change (GG 140)

The hydrostatic law describes the weight of a fluid overlying a given area, or the pressure at a particular point. It can be used to calculate the approximate atmospheric mass over a particular area, or to calculate the change in pressure over a given change in altitude. A calculation of the pressure difference from the ground to the twelfth floor of Klein Biology Tower is found to agree well with measurements taken at both locations. The hydrostatic law also applies to pressure changes with depth in the ocean.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Recap of Planet Temperature
11:20 - Chapter 2. Hydrostatic Balance
19:15 - Chapter 3. Calculation of CO2 Mass in the Atmosphere
22:08 - Chapter 4. Derivation of the Differential Form of the Hydrostatic Balance Equation
26:05 - Chapter 5. Hydrostatic Law Experiment
35:14 - Chapter 6. Application of Hydrostatic Law

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://oyc.yale.edu

This course was recorded in Fall 2011.