AIRS Satellite Feed
Nighttime Air Temperature at 700 Millibars
This map shows AIRS observations of nighttime air temperature at 700 millibars (mb) pressure. Pressures of 700 mb correspond to 8,000 feet (about 2,500 meters) above the surface. For comparison, surface pressure over the ocean is about 1000 mb. Roughly 1/3 of the atmosphere's mass is found in the layer below 700 mb. Blank areas in western North America show where the 700 mb pressure surface intersects mountainous terrain. This level of the atmosphere is in upper reaches of the lower troposphere, and the display of warm and cold air masses and frontal boundaries is particularly vivid at this pressure level.
