Open AccessNote on the ascent of Meteorological balloons and the temperature of the upper air
Publication year - 1908
Publication title -
proceedings of the royal society of london. series a, containing papers of a mathematical and physical character
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2053-9150
pISSN - 0950-1207
DOI - 10.1098/rspa.1908.0045
Subject(s) - density of air , atmosphere (unit) , meteorology , balloon , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , atmospheric pressure , mechanics , geology , geodesy , physics , medicine , surgery
The recent investigation of the upper atmosphere by means of india-rubber balloons has led to the discovery that an almost constant temperature is reached when the pressure has decreased to about 150 mm. The lowest pressure reached in England is, I believe, a little under 50 mm., and the corresponding height about 20 kilometres. I thought it might be of interest to examine, from a theoretical point of view, what the behaviour of balloons such as are used in meteorological work must be as regards the possible heights to which they might ascend and the variations of their velocity as they rise. The determining factors are:— (1) The relative density of the gas in the balloon and of the outer air at the same pressure.