Atmospheric pressure at a given point in the atmosphere is the weight of a vertical column of air above that level. Differences in pressure from one location to another cause both horizontal motions (winds) and vertical motions (convection and subsidence) in the atmosphere. Vertical motions, whether associated with high and low pressure centers or with other meteorological processes, are the most important motions for producing weather because they determine whether clouds and precipitation form or dissipate. The location of high and low pressure centers is a key feature on weather maps, providing information about wind direction, wind speed, cloud cover, and precipitation. Pressure-driven winds carry air from areas where pressure is high to areas where pressure is low. However, the winds do not blow directly from a high pressure center to a low pressure center. Because of the effects of the rotation of the earth and friction, winds blow clockwise out of a high pressure center and counterclockwise into a low pressure center in the Northern Hemisphere. These wind directions are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere. The strength of the wind is proportional to the pressure difference between the two regions. When the pressure difference or pressure gradient is strong, wind speeds are high; when the pressure gradient is weak, wind speeds are low. As air flows out of a high pressure center, air from higher in the atmosphere sinks to replace it. This subsidence produces warming and the dissipation of clouds and precipitation. As air converges in a low pressure center, it rises and cools. If the air is sufficiently moist, cooling can cause the moisture to condense and form clouds. Further lifting of the air can produce precipitation. Thus, rising pressure readings at a given location indicate the approach of a high pressure center and fair weather, whereas falling pressure readings indicate the approach of a low pressure center and stormy weather. The vertical motions caused by the divergence of air out of a high pressure center or the convergence of air into a low pressure center are generally weak, with air rising or sinking at a rate of several cm per second, and they cannot be measured by routine weather observations.
Temperature-dependency on the inactivation of Saccharomyces pastorianus by low-pressure carbon dioxide microbubbles
