ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE Vocabulary absolute humidity; relative humidity; evaporation; saturation; condensation; sublimation; latent heat of vaporization; dew

point temperature; sling psychrometer; dry-bulb thermometer; dry-bulb temperature; air temperature; wet-bulb thermometer; wet-bulb temperature; depression Objectives The student will be able to determine the relative humidity of the air given the temperature, water vapor content, and capacity. The student will be able to determine the relative humidity given the air temperature (dry-bulb temperature), the wet-bulb temperature, and the table. The student will be able to determine the dew point temperature given the air temperature (dry-bulb temperature), the wet-bulb temperature, and the table. The student will be able to calculate when the air will be saturated given sufficient data. Introduction The amount of water present in the air, whether it is in the solid, liquid, or gaseous state, plays an important role in the weather experienced on earth. This amount of water varies considerably and, therefore, its measurement must be reported. One method of stating how much water vapor, water in its gaseous state, is in the air is to state the actual measured weight of water vapor in a given amount of air. This is called the absolute humidity. The absolute humidity, however, does not fully indicate the moisture quality of the air because as the temperature of the air changes, the amount of water vapor that it can hold (its capacity) changes. Examine the Water Vapor Capacity Table. At higher temperatures the air can hold more water vapor than at lower temperatures, so as the temperature of the air increases, the water vapor capacity also increases. As a result, the absolute humidity alone does not tell the full story about the moisture conditions of the atmosphere. A more complete method of reporting it is by the use of relative humidty. The relative humidity is the amount of water vapor the air actually has (the absolute humidity) compared to the amount of moisture the air can hold at that temperature. Relative humidity is always stated as a percentage, so the formula would be: Relative Humidity % = (absolute humidity/capacity) x 100 OR Relative Humidity % = (amount of moisture in the air/maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold at that temperature) x 100 See the sample problem 1. As the amount of water vapor in the air increases, it approaches the capacity or the total amount it can hold. When it reaches this point, the

air is said to be saturated, and the relative humidity will be 100%. One instrument which is used to determine relative humidity is the sling psychrometer. This is an instrument consisting of two thermometers, one of which is plain (the dry-bulb thermometer) and the other of which has a wick or piece of cloth wrapped around the bulb or bottom (the wet-bulb thermometer). The amount of moisture in the air and the temperature of the air both influence how rapidly water will evaporate or change into water vapor and enter the air. As water evaporates, it removes heat to make this change of state. This heat is then stored in the water vapor in the air to be released later when the water vapor returns to its liquid or its solid state by the processes of either condensation or sublimation respectively. The sling psychrometer makes use of these principles. The wick is dampened and as water evaporates from this cloth, heat is taken with it. Thus, the wet-bulb thermometer will register the wet-bulb temperature which is usually lower than the air temperature (the dry-bulb temperature), registered by the dry-bulb thermometer where no evaporation has taken place. This difference in temperature is called the depression. The dry-bulb temperature is always higher than the wet-bulb temperature except for when the air is saturated or the relative humidity is 100%. In this situation, as water evaporates from the wet-bulb, an equal amount of condensation is returning the heat which was lost. Therefore, the two temperatures will be the same. After both thermometers have registered their temperatures and the depression has been determined, tables can be used to find the relative humidity. As air is cooled and no moisture is added, the relative humidity will increase until the air reaches saturation (100% RH). The temperature of the air when this occurs is called the dew point temperature. Further cooling of the air will result in condensation because the air is no longer capable of holding all of that moisture. Once this air begins to warm again, though, it will no longer have as much water vapor in it as previously, so the relative humidity and dew point temperature will have changed. It is possible to find the dew point temperature of the air by using a sling psychrometer and a table similar to the one used to find the relative humidity. See the sample problem 2. Review Questions 1. As air temperature increases, the amount of water vapor the air can hold __________. 2. The ______________ humidity compares the _________________ humidity to the _______________ and is always stated as a _______________. 3. Evaporation is a ______________ process and condensation is a _______________ process. 4. The _______________ is the temperature difference between the _____________ temperature, which is usually higher, and the ____________________ temperature. 5. When the relative humidity is 100%, the depression will be ____________. 6. As the air temperature rises and no evaporation occurs, the relative humidity will _______________. 7. As moisture is added to the air and the temperature remains the same, the relative humidity will ____________.

8. If the air temperature drops enough, it will reach saturation at the __________________ temperature and as it continues to drop, __________________ will occur. Answers: increases; relative, absolute, capacity, percentage; cooling, warming; depression, dry-bulb (air), wet-bulb; zero; decrease; increase; dew point, condensation Sample Problem 1 What is the relative humidity of the air if the air temperature is 20C and it contains 6 g/kg of water vapor? At 50F the air can hold 15 g/kg of water vapor (from the table) RH% = 6/15 X 100 = ____% Sample Problem 2 The dry-bulb temperature is 30C and the wet-bulb temperature is 27C. What is the depression, the relative humidity, and the dew point temperature? The depression is the difference between the dry-bulb temperature and the wet-bulb temperature. 30C 27 = ____ depression Using the relative humidity table, find the air temperature of 30 in the left hand column and intersect that horizontal line with the vertical column for a depression of 3 to find the relative humidity. The number at the intersection of the two lines is ___, so the relative humidity is ___%. Using the dew point table, find the air temperature of 30 and intersect that horizontal line with the vertical column for a depression of 3 to find the dew point temperature. The number at the intersection of those two columns is ___, so the dew point temperature is ___C. This means that if the air were to be cooled to ___C, condensation would begin and the relative humidity would then be 100%. Sample Problem 3 If the air temperature is 15C and the relative humidity is 70%, how many grains (g/kg) of moisture does the air presently have? How many must be added for it to reach saturation? At 15C the air can hold 11 grains of moisture (from table 1). It has 70% of its capacity or (11 X .70 =) _______grains of water vapor. It can hold 11 but it has only _______, so to become saturated (5.7 - ______ )= ______ grains must be added.

Table 1: The WaterVapor Capacity Table

Table 2: Relative Humidity

Additional Air Temp Wet Bulb Depression Temp 12 16 24 22 6 8 4 11 RH (%) Dew (C) 7 Point Grains (g/kg) 11

16 24 28 30

37