Does the earths atmosphere rotate at the same rate as the earth itself, or are they moving at different speeds?

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Does the earths atmosphere rotate at the same rate as the earth itself, or are they moving at different speeds?

In: Physics

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Meteorology is a incredibly deep topic most people don’t need to know much about. I’m not a meteorologist but I am an amature pilot and have learned a few things out of necessity so I’ll see if I can fill in some gaps from my own limited knowledge set.

There are shifting layers of air that flow like rivers. Sometimes you’ll see wind blowing west at 10mph then 1000ft up a layer of air will be blowing east 20mph. It’s handy to be aware of these layers as a pilot as if you can move into a current of wind going the direction you want you can get to your destination faster. But, also if you travel between these layers the air can be incredibly violent as it changes directions so it’s a good idea to be aware of the layers.

Air currents closer to the ground are almost always slower than air current higher up. largely due to hills, structures and other obstructions slowing the flow of the wind. Air higher up is also colder due to being further from the ground which sunlight heats and radiates out from; temperatures drop by about 3.2 degrees per 1000ft up. Air higher up is thinner due to less weight from air above it compressing it.

Air currents are largely influenced by the sun and uneven heating and various other currents running into each other, the earths spin doesn’t really contribute as much as you may think other than where the sun is shining in that spin.

A fantastic website I use regularly for visualizing wind is [windy.com](https://www.windy.com). It shows wind direction and color coded speed charts (bottom right) as well as a slider (far right) that allows you to view air currents at different altitudes. So you can imagine if an air current is going the way you want at 60+mph it’s worthwhile to get in that layer (or out of it if you’re going the other way).

Anonymous 0 Comments

The atmosphere IS the earth itself. The planet starts at the edge of the atmosphere, not at the ground or sea level.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The atmosphere close to the ground moves at roughly the same speed because it’s “sticky” in a way because of friction.

However, above 200km it actually spins faster and we’re not sure why.