How Does Earth's Atmosphere Impact Life and Pressure?

TL;DR

Earth's atmosphere, although thin like an apple's skin, is crucial for sustaining life and weather. A 'space straw' cannot remove ocean water due to the insufficient atmospheric pressure to push it into orbit. Additionally, Earth experiences a net loss in mass yearly from escaping gases but gains from space dust and meteoric material, keeping a balance in its overall mass.

Transcript

Hey, Vsauce. Michael here. Our atmosphere is a thin vail of air, held to earth's surface by gravity. We live in it, we breathe it, we walk through it every day; it contains all weather, but yet it is almost nothing. In fact, if the earth was the size of an apple our atmosphere from the ground all the way to outer space would only be about as thick ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤔 Earth's atmosphere is a thin layer compared to the size of the planet, but it is essential for supporting life and weather systems.
• 💐 A vacuum cleaner or space straw can only create a flow from a region of higher pressure to a region of lower pressure, and the strength of the force pushing air is limited by atmospheric pressure.
• 💪 Buoyancy exists in our atmosphere but is not strong enough to counteract gravity for humans.
• 🙂 Earth gains and loses mass through the loss of light elements, such as hydrogen and helium, and the addition of space dust and meteorite fragments.

Questions & Answers

Q: Can a space straw suck all the water out of the ocean?

No, a space straw would not be able to suck all the water out of the ocean because it can only create a flow from a region of higher pressure to a region of lower pressure. The force pushing air into the straw can only be as strong as the pressure of the surrounding air.

Q: Why doesn't buoyancy cause humans to float away?

Buoyancy exists in our atmosphere, but it is not enough to cause humans to float away. While the slightly greater upward force from air pressure pushes a helium balloon up, the difference is not significant enough to counteract the force of gravity on humans.

Q: Does Earth gain or lose mass?

Earth both gains and loses mass. Elements like hydrogen and helium are too light to stick around and get lost to space, while space dust and meteorite fragments add to the planet's mass. Overall, the changes in mass are relatively small.

Q: Are the molecules in the air the same ones we've breathed before?

Yes, statistically speaking, the molecules in our atmosphere are likely to have been inside our bodies and breathed out before. This includes carbon dioxide, which is recycled by plants and turns into sugars. Therefore, every breath we take contains molecules that were once inside our bodies.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Earth's atmosphere is a thin layer of air held by gravity, which contains all weather and is relatively thin compared to the size of the planet.

• A space straw would not be able to suck all the water out of the ocean because the pressure is only as strong as the surrounding air. Our atmosphere is not strong enough to push water into orbit.

• Buoyancy, caused by the counteraction of an object's weight by a surrounding fluid or gas, exists in our atmosphere but is not enough to cause humans to float away.

• Earth both loses and gains mass, with elements like hydrogen and helium being lost to space, while space dust and meteorite fragments add to the planet's mass.