Atmospheric Humidity
Uploaded by
Sheyenne Casona ArigoAtmospheric Humidity
Uploaded by
Sheyenne Casona ArigoAtmospheric
Humidity
Aaron Fervent S. Combate / Khem L. Javien
/ Elvern Macasaet
BSED-Science 3A
Absolute
Humidity Dew Point Humidity
The amount of water The water that The actual mass of water
vapor present in the air. condenses out of the air vapor present in the
at certain temperature. given volume of air.
(g/m^3)
Dry Air & Specific Relative
Moist Air Humidity Humidity
The mass of water vapor The moisture in the air
DA - No water vapor in
to the total mass of air compared to the
the air.
parcel. maximum amount it
could hold at a given
MA - There is water
temperature.
vapor in the air.
Circulation of Water in the Atmosphere
The sun’s energy transforms enormous quantities of liquid water into water vapor in a
process called evaporation. Winds then transport the moist air to other regions, where the water
vapor changes back into liquid (or ice), forming clouds, in a process called condensation. Under
certain conditions, the liquid cloud particles (or solid ice crystals) may grow in size and fall to the
surface as precipitation—rain, snow, or hail.
Hydrologic Cycle (Water Cycle)
The cycle of moving and transforming water molecules from liquid to vapor and back to
liquid again is called the hydrologic (water) cycle.
The Many Phases of Water
In the lower atmosphere, we could see
H2O in a tiny molecules everywhere by
magnifying billion times.
The Many Phases of Water
•The higher temperature, the faster
molecules moves
•In the liquid state, molecules are close,
bumping one another.
Solid state molecules arrange themselves in orderly
pattern, locked into a rigid position able to vibrate
not able to move.
Sublimation
Deposition
Melting
Freezing
Vaporation
Condensation
Water vapor becomes visible to as when
millions of molecules join together to
form tiny clouds, droplet sand ice crystal
Evaporation, Condensation, and Saturation
From liquid state to vapor is evaporation.
From vapor state (gas) to liquid is
condensing.
Condensation occurs primarily when the air is cooled.
Humidity: Absolute Humidity, Specific
Humidity, and Vapor Pressure
Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air or the
amount of water vapor present.
“There are many ways to specifying the
amount of water vapor in the air.”
Absolute Humidity - It represents the mass of water vapor in a
fixed volume of the air, or the water vapor density.
Formula: Absolute Humidity = Mass of water vapor/volume of the air
Unit:
AH = g/m3
Mass of water vapor = grams
Volume of the air = cubic meter
“There are many ways to specifying the
amount of water vapor in the air.”
Specific Humidity - It measures the mass of water vapor in a fixed
mass of air (including vapor).
Formula: Specific Humidity= mass of water vapor/total mass of air
Unit:
SH = g/kg
Mass of water vapor = grams
Total mass of air = kilogram
“There are many ways to specifying the
amount of water vapor in the air.”
Mixing Ratio - It expresses humidity as the mass of water vapor in
the fixed mass of remaining dry air.
Formula: Mixing Ratio= mass of water vapor /mass of dry air
Unit:
MR = g/kg
Mass of water vapor = grams
Mass of dry air = kilogram
Vapor Pressure
The "Actual Vapor Pressure" of air expresses the amount of water
in terms of the amount of pressure that the water vapor molecules exert
while "Saturation Vapor Pressure" is the pressure that the water vapor
molecules would exert if the air were saturated with vapor at a given
temperature.
Vapor pressure unit is "mb" or millibars.
Vapor Pressure and Boiling
Saturation vapor pressure is directly related to the
temperature of the liquid, higher water temperatures
produce higher vapor pressures.
Relative Humidity and
Dew Point
Relative humidity tells us how close the air to be being
saturated. It can change the air’s water vapor content
changes or air temperature changes. While dew point
represents the temperature to which air would have to
cooled for saturation to occur (with no changing air
pressure or moisture content .
Relative Humidity in the Home
Low relative humidity indoors negatively impacts
plants and humans. Plants lose moisture rapidly and
require more frequent watering. Humans experience dry,
cracked skin, irritated mucous membranes, and increased
susceptibility to nasal infections.
We can address low relative humidity indoors by Increasing
humidity, through methods like heating water or using a humidifier, to
relieve these problems. Air conditioning, on the other hand, cools the air
and raises its relative humidity by forcing the air to reach saturation.
Relative Humidity and Human Discomfort
The amount of water vapor present in the air expressed
as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at
the same temperature.
When the weather is hot and muggy, a number of heat-related problems
can occur. For example, in hot weather when the human body temperature
rises, the hypothalamus gland activates the body’s heat-regulating
mechanism, and more than 10 million sweat glands wet the body with as much
as two liters of liquid per hour. As this perspiration evaporates, rapid loss of
water and salt can result in a chemical imbalance that may lead to painful heat
cramps.
Relative Humidity and Human Discomfort
The Minnesota Vikings’ all-pro offensive lineman, Korey
Stringer, collapsed after practice in Mankato, Minnesota, on
July 31, 2001, and died 15 hours later. Before Stringer
fainted, temperatures on the practice field were in the 90
(degree fahrenheit) with the relative humidity above 55
percent.
The heat index combines air temperature with relative humidity to determine an apparent
temperature— what the air temperature “feels like” to the average person for various
combinations of air temperature and relative humidity
Measuring Humidity
1. Psychrometer
This instrument measures dew point and relative humidity. It
has two thermometers: a dry bulb that measures the current air
temperature and a wet bulb covered in a cloth wick that is dipped in
water. The difference between the temperatures indicates the
relative humidity.
2. Hygrometer
This instrument used to measure the humidity, or amount of
water vapor in the air.
Measuring Humidity
3. Dew Point Hygrometer
This Instrument measures the dewpoint temperature by cooling
the surface of a mirror until condensation (dew) forms.
