The Earth’s atmosphere has a mass of around 5.5 quadrillion tons (5.15×1018 kg). The weight of Earth’s atmosphere represents the entire mass of air encircling the planet. To determine the weight of the atmosphere, we must examine the mass of each gas and how it is distributed across the atmosphere.
The weight of the atmosphere can be calculated using the following formula:
Weight = Mass × Gravity
Where:
Mass is the total mass of the atmosphere.
Gravity is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.81 m/s2).
Because of the dynamic nature of the atmosphere, with variable temperature, pressure, and composition at different altitudes, this calculation can be difficult.