pressure force

From Glossary of Meteorology
(Or pressure-gradient force.) The force due to differences of pressure within a fluid mass.

The (vector) force per unit volume is equal to the pressure gradient, -p, and the force per unit mass (specific force) is equal to the product of the volume force and the specific volume, -αp. In the atmosphere, the vertical component of this force is of the order of 104 times the horizontal component; in meteorological literature the term "pressure force" usually refers only to the latter horizontal pressure force.

Copyright 2024 American Meteorological Society (AMS). For permission to reuse any portion of this work, please contact permissions@ametsoc.org. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 107) or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S.Copyright Act (17 USC § 108) does not require AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, require written permission or a license from AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement.