Humidity
By: Emma and Elizabeth
What is Humidity?
Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air.
What is Water Vapor?
Water vapor is moisture in the air.
How Does Temperature Affect the Air's Ability to Hold Water?
If the temperature and pressure is constant, the amounts of water vapor in the air changes, but if the water vapor is constant, the temperature will change along with the relative humidity.
What is Relative Humidity?
This is the amount of water vapor in the air compared with the maximum amount of water vapor that the air can hold at a certain temperature.
What Does it Mean to be Saturated?
This is when the air holds all the water that it can at a given temperature; the air becomes full of water.
What Factors Affect Relative Humidity?
Relative humidity is influenced by temperature and geographic location. Warmer air holds more moisture than cooler air, and warmer weather causes evaporation. Areas with a lot of surface water, such as the Great Lakes region and coastal areas, have high humidity levels due to evaporation.
How Do We Measure Relative Humidity?
To measure relative humidity, we use a tool called a vintage psychrometer. These devices have been around for more than 100 years used for measuring the moisture content (a.k.a. relative humidity) in the air.