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    Humidity and Clouds PDF

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    shekhar pardeshi
    This document discusses different forms of water in the atmosphere including humidity, condensation, clouds, and fog. It describes the hydrologic cycle and where water exists on Earth. Key concepts covered include evaporation, factors that affect evaporation rates like temperature and wind speed, saturation of air, how condensation forms clouds and fog, different types of fog (radiation, advection, mixing), relative humidity, dewpoint, and different types of clouds.

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    Humidity and Clouds PDF

    Uploaded by

    shekhar pardeshi
    176 views46 pages
    This document discusses different forms of water in the atmosphere including humidity, condensation, clouds, and fog. It describes the hydrologic cycle and where water exists on Earth. Key concepts covered include evaporation, factors that affect evaporation rates like temperature and wind speed, saturation of air, how condensation forms clouds and fog, different types of fog (radiation, advection, mixing), relative humidity, dewpoint, and different types of clouds.

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    This document discusses different forms of water in the atmosphere including humidity, condensation, clouds, and fog. It describes the hydrologic cycle and where water exists on Earth. Key concepts covered include evaporation, factors that affect evaporation rates like temperature and wind speed, saturation of air, how condensation forms clouds and fog, different types of fog (radiation, advection, mixing), relative humidity, dewpoint, and different types of clouds.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    176 views46 pages

    Humidity and Clouds PDF

    Uploaded by

    shekhar pardeshi
    This document discusses different forms of water in the atmosphere including humidity, condensation, clouds, and fog. It describes the hydrologic cycle and where water exists on Earth. Key concepts covered include evaporation, factors that affect evaporation rates like temperature and wind speed, saturation of air, how condensation forms clouds and fog, different types of fog (radiation, advection, mixing), relative humidity, dewpoint, and different types of clouds.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pdf or txt
    of 46

    Humidity, Condensation,

    Clouds, and Fog

    or

    Water in the Atmosphere


    The Hydrologic Cycle
    Where the Water Exists on Earth
    Evaporation From the
    Oceans and Land
    ________________

    The Source of Water Vapor


    for the Atmosphere
    Only water molecules are
    shown in the air.
    ! Water molecules move in both
    directions between liquid and
    gas. OPEN TOP

    ! More molecules move from


    liquid to gas than from gas to
    liquid, and thus there is a net
    loss of liquid – evaporation.

    ! Eventually liquid water will dry


    up, unless replaced by a
    source such as precipitation.

    ! Some water molecules that


    leave the liquid move away
    from the surface because the
    container is open.
    What affects evaporation rate?

    ! Wind speed
    - The stronger the wind, the more rapid the
    evaporation.
    - Why? - Stronger wind over surface blows
    away vapor molecules from near
    surface, so they will not re-enter liquid
    surface.
    - Example - Clothes dry out faster in the
    wind, we feel colder in the wind with
    wet clothes
    ! Temperature of the water
    – The higher the water temperature, the
    more rapid the evaporation.
    - Why? - The higher temperature means that
    water molecules in the liquid are moving
    faster, and will escape to form vapor.
    - Example - wet clothes dry faster in the sun
    ! The humidity of the air (humidity = amount
    of water vapor in the air)
    – The higher the humidity, the slower the
    evaporation.
    - Why? - The more water molecules in the
    air, the more that go back to the liquid.
    - Example - clothes dry faster and your
    perspiration evaporates quickly in dry
    climates
    Now Saturate the Air
    ! Put a lid on container so no
    water-vapor molecules blow
    away

    ! Water molecules evaporate from


    the liquid until enough
    accumulate in the air so that
    they move back to the liquid at
    the same rate.

    ! At this point we say that the air


    is saturated with water vapor – it
    has reached its capacity.
    The Amount of Water Vapor the
    Air Can Hold Depends on
    Temperature

    ! The amount of water vapor that may be


    evaporated into air is directly proportional to
    the air temperature. That is, the higher the
    temperature, the more water vapor the air
    can hold.
    For Example
    ! Allow liquid water in a closed container to
    evaporate until the air is saturated.
    ! Warm the air by 20 F, and evaporation will begin
    again because the air is no longer saturated. At
    the new saturation, when evaporation stops, twice
    the original amount of water will be in the air.
    ! Warm the air another 20 F, and the water in the air
    will double again when saturation is reached and
    evaporation stops.
    So
    ! For about every 20 F change in
    temperature, the capacity of the air
    for water vapor changes by a factor
    of two
    Condensation to Form Fog,
    Clouds, Dew – How it Happens in
    the Atmosphere
    ! Condensation occurs mainly when air is cooled
    and its capacity for water vapor is decreased.
    ! In the atmosphere, water vapor condenses on
    particles of solid material rather than in the open
    air.
    ! These particles may be natural or man-made, and
    are called condensation nuclei.
    ! Thus, the condensation that begins each cloud
    droplet or fog droplet takes place on a solid
    particle.
    Humidity –

    Any way of specifying the


    amount of water vapor in air
    1. Vapor Pressure
    Concept - Each gas in the atmosphere contributes
    its own partial pressure (part of the total). Say the
    total pressure is 1000 millibars, and 1% of the air
    is water vapor.
    nitrogen (78%) – partial pressure = 780 mb
    oxygen (21%) – partial pressure = 210 mb
    water vapor (1%) – partial pressure = 10 mb
    (Saturation vapor pressure = vapor pressure if the
    air is saturated)
    How saturation
    vapor pressure
    depends on
    temperature – it
    takes more water
    vapor to saturate
    the air at higher
    temperatures!!!!
    2. Relative Humidity
    Relative humidity tells us how close the air is to
    being saturated

    RH = water vapor content x 100


    water vapor capacity
    or

    RH = actual vapor pressure x 100


    saturation vapor pressure
    Relative Humidity (cont.)

    ! If air contains ½ the amount required for


    saturation the RH = 50%
    ! If air is saturated, RH= 100%
    ! How does RH change? – two ways
    – Change the temperature (capacity for water
    vapor)
    – Change the amount of water vapor in the air
    Change of RH that results from daily
    temperature change
    Relative humidity and human comfort

    ! The body cools itself through


    - evaporation from the skin
    - evaporation from the respiratory track
    - radiation
    - conduction and convection
    ! When the body is under heat stress (large sources of heat
    from metabolism or external sources), evaporation of
    perspiration from the skin is most important cooling
    mechanism.
    ! But, evaporation slows down when air is close to saturation
    (high RH).
    ! Thus, we are uncomfortably hot when the RH is high.
    3. Dewpoint
    The temperature to which you have to cool the
    air to produce saturation
    Fog
    ! Air becomes saturated and droplets form on
    condensation nuclei
    ! There is no physical difference between a
    fog and a cloud, except that we tend to think
    of a fog as being near the ground
    ! There are different names for a fog,
    depending on how it forms (that is, what
    causes the saturation)
    Fog types
    Radiation fog

    ! The surface of Earth cools at night because


    infrared radiation is emitted.
    ! The cool surface cools the air near it.
    ! If the air temperature cools to the dewpoint
    temperature, a radiation fog forms.
    Radiation fog (continued)
    ! These fogs tend to form
    - in low areas (e.g., valleys) because the cool air
    near the ground drains downhill.
    - over moist surfaces (e.g., river valleys) because
    the dew point is higher.
    - when the sky is clear and air is dry, because more
    infrared energy escapes to space rather than
    being absorbed and radiated back to Earth
    - when the overall airmass is moist, and thus the
    dewpoint is high
    - when nights are long in the winter, allowing more
    cooling
    - when the winds near the surface are relatively light
    Advection fog

    ! When air moves horizontally (advects) over


    a cold surface, the air near the surface cools
    ! If the air cools to the dewpoint,
    condensation takes place and an advection
    fog forms.
    Advection fog (continued)

    ! These fogs tend to form


    - when air moves over a cold water surface
    - when the air has a high relative humidity
    to begin with
    Mixing fog

    ! Say two volumes of air are unsaturated but


    have a high relative humidity.
    ! When they mix, the resulting mixture may be
    saturated.
    Mixing Fog (examples)

    ! Your breath on a cold day


    ! Condensation trails from jets
    ! Exhaust from automobiles
    ! “Steam fog” over a warm water surface
    ! Fog forming over snow that is melting on the
    highway
    Fog climatology – average number of days a year
    with heavy fog
    Cloud Types
    Cirrus
    Cirrocumulus
    Cirrostratus
    Altocumulus
    Altostratus
    Nimbostratus
    Stratocumulus
    Stratus
    “Fair-weather” cumulus
    Cumulus congestus
    Cumulonimbus
    Lenticular or wave clouds

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