Scale height

In various scientific contexts, a scale height, usually denoted by the capital letter H, is a distance over which a quantity decreases by a factor of e (the base of natural logarithms, approximately 2.718). In various scientific contexts, a scale height, usually denoted by the capital letter H, is a distance over which a quantity decreases by a factor of e (the base of natural logarithms, approximately 2.718). For planetary atmospheres, scale height is the increase in altitude for which the atmospheric pressure decreases by a factor of e. The scale height remains constant for a particular temperature. It can be calculated by