Atmospheric Scale Height Calculator
Atmospheric Scale Height
Calculate how atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude using the barometric formula and scale height for any planetary atmosphere.
Formula
Scale Height H = RT / (Mg); Pressure = P0 x exp(-h / H); where R = 8.314 J/(mol K), M = molar mass, g = gravity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is atmospheric scale height?
The scale height is the altitude increase needed for atmospheric pressure to decrease by a factor of e (about 2.718). For Earth, the scale height is approximately 8.5 km.
How does pressure change with altitude on Earth?
At sea level pressure of 1 atm, pressure drops to about 0.37 atm at one scale height (8.5 km), 0.14 atm at two scale heights, and so on exponentially.
Do other planets have different scale heights?
Yes. Mars has a scale height of about 11 km despite lower gravity because of its thin CO2 atmosphere. Venus has a scale height of about 15 km. Jupiter has about 27 km.