Humidity

Explained | What is relative humidity and why does it matter on a hot da... about:reader?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehindu.com%2Fsci-tech%...
thehindu.com
Explained | What is relative humidity

and why does it matter on a hot day?
Vasudevan Mukunth
7–9 minutes
Relative humidity is a simple concept as weather phenomena go –

but it has significant, far-reaching consequences for how we must
take care of ourselves on a hot or wet day.
Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air around us, and there
are three ways to track it. The most common of them is absolute
humidity: the mass of water vapour in a given volume of the air
and water vapour mixture, expressed as kg/m3. The second is
specific humidity, equal to the mass of the moisture divided by the
mass of air. It is expressed as a dimensionless number (but
sometimes also as grams per kilogram, among other similar units.)
The third way is relative humidity: it is important because it factors

in the amount of vapour that air can hold at different temperatures.
Determining its value is a bit more complicated: it is the vapour
density of the air divided by the saturation vapour density at the
dry-bulb temperature.
Why does relative humidity matter?
On a hot day, our body uses sweat to cool itself. Sweat is released
1 of 8 25/04/2023, 12:16
via our skin to the surface. There, the liquid evaporates. When
water changes phase from liquid to vapour, it absorbs heat from
the surface on which it lies. So when sweat evaporates, it absorbs
heat from the skin, cooling it.
The higher the relative humidity of air, the more it is filled with
moisture. When air already contains a lot of moisture, it won’t
easily accept more. This means that the sweat on your skin can’t
evaporate. At the same time, the body keeps sweating because it
is still expecting to cool itself.
As a result, if the relative humidity is high, you can sweat on a hot

day even when you are sitting still – while your body also keeps
accumulating heat. This can quickly become dangerous.
A relative humidity of 30-60% is generally considered to be

comfortable. Environments that have lower levels than this
typically use humidifiers to increase the humidity. When the level is
higher, a fan will help move the air around you and help sweat
evaporate better.
In both cases, drinking water is important.
What does relative humidity imply physically?
Warmer air can hold more moisture than cooler air. So at the same
absolute humidity, the relative humidity of warmer air will be lower
than that of cooler air. It is like saying two vessels can hold the
same amount of water – just that the bigger vessel will be less full
than the smaller vessel.
This is why, for example, while Chennai had an absolute humidity

of 70% at 2.30 pm on April 23, its relative humidity was lower,
2 of 8 25/04/2023, 12:16
around 60%, because it had an ambient temperature of 32 C.
The change in the capacity for moisture as the air warms is also
non-linear, meaning it doesn’t increase by the same amount as the
air warms. For example, the difference as it warms over 20º C
from -20º C to 0º C is small, but there is an enormous
improvement in its vapour-carrying capacity as it warms over 20º C
from 30º C to 50º C.
How do you measure relative humidity?
There are a few ways to measure relative humidity. One is to
3 of 8 25/04/2023, 12:16
conduct a simple experiment with household items; another is to

use maths; a third is to use an app or device.
Experiment
For the experiment, you need two mercury thermometers, some

cotton, rubber bands, and access to cold water.
First, make sure both thermometers show the same reading, say,
under a fan. Next, soak some cotton in cold water and wrap it
around the bulb of one of the thermometers with a rubber band.
Hold this thermometer under the fan, such that water from the
cotton evaporates, and record the thermometer reading after five
minutes. Hold up the other thermometer in the air and record its
reading after five minutes. You will thus have the wet-bulb and dry-
bulb temperatures, respectively.
Next, subtract the wet-bulb temperature from the dry-bulb

temperature to get the temperature difference. Finally, use the
relative humidity chart (see below) to get the relative humidity
value. For example, if the difference was 6 C and the dry-bulb
temperature was 28 C, the relative humidity would have been
59%.
4 of 8 25/04/2023, 12:16
A psychrometer is a device that has two such thermometers plus a

chart to get the final reading. Modern, electronic psychrometers
can calculate the relative humidity directly.
For a rough sense, the lower the wet-bulb temperature, the drier
the air is, and the less relatively humid it is.
Mathematics
There are two mathematical ways (among others) to estimate the

relative humidity, one simpler and one a bit more involved.
The first way is to divide the actual vapour pressure by the

saturated vapour pressure. The vapour pressure is the amount of
moisture that air contains. The ‘saturated’ value is the maximum
possible amount. The formula (below) requires the dew point (Td),
which you can obtain from a weather website.
R H = (e/e s)*100
e = 6.11 x 10 ((7.5 x Td)/(237.3 + Td))
For e s, use the same formula but replace Td with T, the actual
5 of 8 25/04/2023, 12:16
temperature.
The second way is to calculate relative humidity starting from the

specific humidity, pressure and temperature, using the Clausius-
Clapeyron equation.
App
If you prefer software: Search for “hygrometer” in your phone’s app

store to locate some options. (A hygrometer is an instrument that
measures humidity.) Note that the app will only work if your phone
has a sensor that can sense humidity.
If you like hardware, psychrometers and devices called

hygrometers are available in physical as well as online stores.
6 of 8 25/04/2023, 12:16
The relative humidity reading according to an app somewhere in Chennai

on April 24, 2023, at 1:45 pm. | Photo Credit: Hygro
Why does the wet-bulb temperature matter?
This said, a more direct way to understand the implications of the

relative humidity for your wellbeing is in the form of the wet-bulb
temperature (a.k.a. the adiabatic saturation temperature). It is the
lowest temperature a surface – like your skin – can reach when
water evaporates from it. The wet-bulb temperature is equal to the
dry-bulb temperature when the relative humidity is 100%.
A wet-bulb temperature in an environment of 32-35º C or higher

can be quickly lethal, even if you are not doing any physical
activity or are in the shade. (At least one study has shown that
even a wet-bulb temperature of more than 29º C can be
dangerous.)
The climate crisis is rendering heatwaves more common, more

frequent, more spread out, and more potent over the Indian
subcontinent. As a study published in May 2022 put it:
“Whether today’s most impactful heatwaves could have occurred

in a pre-industrial climate, traditionally a central focus of attribution
research, is fast becoming an obsolete question. The next frontier
for attribution science is to inform adaptation decision-making in
the face of unprecedented future heat.”
One way to adapt is to keep an eye on the relative humidity, drink

lots of water, and cool yourself.
Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air around us, and there
are three ways to track it. The most common of them is absolute
humidity: the mass of water vapour in a given volume of the air
7 of 8 25/04/2023, 12:16
and water vapour mixture, expressed as kg/m3.
The higher the relative humidity of air, the more it is filled with
moisture. When air already contains a lot of moisture, it won’t
easily accept more.
A wet-bulb temperature in an environment of 32-35º C or higher

can be quickly lethal, even if you are not doing any physical
activity or are in the shade. (At least one study has shown that
even a wet-bulb temperature of more than 29º C can be
dangerous.)
8 of 8 25/04/2023, 12:16

Humidity

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Humidity

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Humidity

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Explained | What is relative humidity and why does it matter on a hot da... about:reader?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehindu.com%2Fsci-tech%...

Explained | What is relative humidity

Relative humidity is a simple concept as weather phenomena go –

The third way is relative humidity: it is important because it factors

Why does relative humidity matter?

As a result, if the relative humidity is high, you can sweat on a hot

A relative humidity of 30-60% is generally considered to be

In both cases, drinking water is important.

What does relative humidity imply physically?

This is why, for example, while Chennai had an absolute humidity

around 60%, because it had an ambient temperature of 32 C.

How do you measure relative humidity?

There are a few ways to measure relative humidity. One is to

conduct a simple experiment with household items; another is to

For the experiment, you need two mercury thermometers, some

Next, subtract the wet-bulb temperature from the dry-bulb

A psychrometer is a device that has two such thermometers plus a

There are two mathematical ways (among others) to estimate the

The first way is to divide the actual vapour pressure by the

e = 6.11 x 10 ((7.5 x Td)/(237.3 + Td))

The second way is to calculate relative humidity starting from the

If you prefer software: Search for “hygrometer” in your phone’s app

If you like hardware, psychrometers and devices called

The relative humidity reading according to an app somewhere in Chennai

Why does the wet-bulb temperature matter?

This said, a more direct way to understand the implications of the

A wet-bulb temperature in an environment of 32-35º C or higher

The climate crisis is rendering heatwaves more common, more

“Whether today’s most impactful heatwaves could have occurred

One way to adapt is to keep an eye on the relative humidity, drink

and water vapour mixture, expressed as kg/m3.

A wet-bulb temperature in an environment of 32-35º C or higher

You might also like