As an object draws closer to the earth's surface, does the air resistance increase or decrease?

The air resistance on an object does not directly depend on its proximity to the Earth's surface. Instead, air resistance depends on several factors including the object's speed, its surface area, and the density of the air.

However, the density of the air does increase closer to the Earth's surface, due to the weight of the air above compressing it. Therefore, if an object is moving at the same speed and has the same surface area, it would experience more air resistance closer to the Earth's surface due to the increased air density.

But, if an object is falling towards the Earth, it will also be accelerating due to gravity (assuming no other forces are acting on it). As it speeds up, the air resistance it experiences will also increase, regardless of its proximity to the Earth's surface.

So, in summary, while the air resistance an object experiences does not directly depend on its distance from the Earth's surface, it can be indirectly affected by this distance due to changes in air density and the object's speed.