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| Mr. Hawkins |
Barometric pressure, also called air or atmospheric pressure, is the pressure exerted by the weight of air over a given area of Earth's surface. At sea level the air pressure is about 14.72 lbs per square inch. This pressure is measured by an instrument called a barometer.
At sea level (the level of the ocean's surface) gravity is strongest and air pressure is greatest. Because gravity weakens as you go up, air pressure is lower at higher altitudes. However, the barometric pressure at any given location on the earth is constantly changing. Temperature differences lead to pressure differences.Those changes produce winds. Winds will not blow unless there is a pressure difference from one place to another. The greater this difference in pressure the faster the wind.
Because Wind Cave is so large and has a lot of space, it also has an air pressure system. That air pressure system is always working to be equal to the air pressure system on the surface. Air travels from high pressure areas into low pressure areas. This is referred to as cave breathing. High pressure on the surface occurs on cool clear days. Low pressure is associated with storms. This causes the wind to go into the cave on high pressure days and out of the cave on low pressure days or bad weather days.
Barometric airflow through the natural entrance of Wind Cave not only gave the cave its name, but also provides an opportunity for determining the approximate volume or size of the cave passages. Monitoring and recording the barometric airflow through the cave natural entrances help us understand the volume of air in the cave and that can be used to calculate the total volume of cave passage. By using the amount of air that comes from the cave we can determine the volume of space in the cave. At this time we have determined that we have found less than 10% of the cave.
At sea level (the level of the ocean's surface) gravity is strongest and air pressure is greatest. Because gravity weakens as you go up, air pressure is lower at higher altitudes. However, the barometric pressure at any given location on the earth is constantly changing. Temperature differences lead to pressure differences.Those changes produce winds. Winds will not blow unless there is a pressure difference from one place to another. The greater this difference in pressure the faster the wind.
Because Wind Cave is so large and has a lot of space, it also has an air pressure system. That air pressure system is always working to be equal to the air pressure system on the surface. Air travels from high pressure areas into low pressure areas. This is referred to as cave breathing. High pressure on the surface occurs on cool clear days. Low pressure is associated with storms. This causes the wind to go into the cave on high pressure days and out of the cave on low pressure days or bad weather days.
Barometric airflow through the natural entrance of Wind Cave not only gave the cave its name, but also provides an opportunity for determining the approximate volume or size of the cave passages. Monitoring and recording the barometric airflow through the cave natural entrances help us understand the volume of air in the cave and that can be used to calculate the total volume of cave passage. By using the amount of air that comes from the cave we can determine the volume of space in the cave. At this time we have determined that we have found less than 10% of the cave.
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| midlandsmoggy, Feb 2012 via Trip Advisor |
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