Question: Why / how do your ears "pop" when you increase or decrease your altitude in relationship to sea level?

Leila Nichol answered on 22 Mar 2013:

Good questions! It’s to do with the variation of pressure with altitude. On an airplane they try and regulate the cabin pressure so it doesn’t affect you too badly, and I can tell you even though you can feel it, it makes a huge difference as my ears popped like crazy when I did a skydive! Same thing happens when diving under water too!