Assume a constant downward gravitational acceleration , constant composition, and an ideal gas law , where is the gas constant per unit mass. Here is the unified atomic mass unit; this convention makes the specified mean molecular weight dimensionless. Hydrostatic equilibrium gives
Integrating from sea level yields
Dividing by the temperature ratio gives the hydrostatic atmosphere with a constant temperature lapse rate:
The model requires and is used here only within the troposphere.
Convert the atmospheric lapse rate to . At , . With , , and , the density exponent is . Hence
The mass density is therefore approximately one third of its sea-level value in this model.