What Is Hydrostatic Balance?
The near-perfect balance between gravity pulling air down and pressure pushing it up, which is why air pressure drops with height. In technical terms: The balance between the vertical pressure gradient force and gravity, dp/dz = minus rho g; a very good approximation for large-scale flows but violated in strong convective updrafts and downdrafts.
Hydrostatic Balance In Plain English
The near-perfect balance between gravity pulling air down and pressure pushing it up, which is why air pressure drops with height.
The Technical Definition
The balance between the vertical pressure gradient force and gravity, dp/dz = minus rho g; a very good approximation for large-scale flows but violated in strong convective updrafts and downdrafts.
