Water in the Atmosphere

Water exists in the

atmosphere as:
Gas water vapor
Solid ice crystals
Liquid water droplets

Changing States
Solid to liquid: Melting
Ice absorbs heat and turns
to liquid

Liquid to solid:
Freezing
Water loses heat,
and turns to ice

Gas to liquid:
Condensation
Heat is released
into surroundings

Liquid to
Gas:
Evaporation
Heat is
absorbed
from

Solid to gas:
Sublimation
Heat absorbed

Gas to solid:
Deposition

Heat released

Humidity
The amount of water
vapor in the atmosphere is
called humidity.
Air that has reached its
water vapor capacity is
said to be saturated
Humidity depends on
temperature since
different temperatures
have different saturation
points

Relative Humidity
Relative Humidity is the amount of
water in the atmosphere compared to
how much water the air can hold
Indicates how near the air is to
saturation

Actual Moisture
X 100 = Relative
Humidity
Maximum Moisture

Hot Air vs. Cold Air

The warmer the air the more water vapor
it can hold
By changing the temperature of the air
you can increase or decrease the relative
humidity
Constant water vapor and higher temp
= lower RH
Constant water vapor and lower temp =
higher RH

Warm, saturated air contains more

Specific Humidity
Number of grams of water vapor in 1 kg of
air (g/kg)
Actual amount of water vapor in air
Hot, summer day in NC--> 20 g/kg
Cold, winter day in NC--> 5 g/kg

Measuring Humidity
Measured with hygrometer
One type of hygrometer is called a
psychrometer
Made of two thermometers- 1 dry, 1 wet
Dry thermometer = air temperature
Wet thermometer = as water evaporates it
removes energy from thermometer, lowering
the temperature
Compare both thermometers in table to find RH
Ex. In cloud no evaporation because air already
saturated.

Sling Psychrometer
and RH Table
Smaller differences
between wet and
dry = higher RH
Larger differences
between wet and
dry = lower RH

Hair Hygrometer
Instrument that
records the
changing length of
hairs when
humidity changes
Human hair
stretches when
humidity increases

Heat Index
Determines what the air temperature
feels like.
High air temp + low RH = air temp feels lower
than it really is
High air temp + high RH = air temp feels higher
than it really is

Dew Point
Dew point temperature
to which air must be
cooled to reach saturation
If the temperature drops
to the dew point then the
moisture in the air will
begin to condense and
form dew (> 0 C) or
frost (< 0 C)
If humidity is high, a small
temperature drop will reach
dew point.
If humidity is low, a large
temperature drop will reach
dew point.