Thin Air

Every morning, I bring water to a boil so that I can start my day with oatmeal. Here, the temperature will reach about 212 degrees Fahrenheit—100 degrees Celsius—before the water molecules will become sufficiently excited as to jump around beyond the electromagnetic bonds that normally hold them in place.

The heat is just enough at this point so that these molecules jiggle free, turning from a liquid into a gas. We call this process boiling.

If you live in Denver, water boils at 203°F/95°C. Why should this be?

Recently, I wrote about the pressure at the deepest depths of the ocean, and how life abounds anyway. GF Writes reader (and fellow Substack writer)

Sam Rake

pointed out that that sort of deep dive virtually demanded a piece about the inverse, about how the pressure changes as you go up.

I tend to agree!

Imagining the entire atmosphere is challenging. It’s everywhere around us, and it’s invisible, so we don’t tend to think much about it during our daily lives. However, you might be able…