Air Pressure, Humidity, and

Temperature
Specific Principle: Warm air rises because it
is less dense than cold air. Air temperature
decreases with increases in elevation, and
precipitation results.
General Principle: Changes in the
elevation of different places on the
earth affect temperature and
precipitation.
How temperature affects humidity. What
we will learn:
warm air can hold more water vapor
than cold air;
the cooling of air means it can hold
less water vapor than the air could hold
before it cooled;
the reduced ability of cold air to hold
molecules of water vapor means that
those molecules change from gas to
water and become precipitation.
Two key terms with which to begin:
Specific humidity;
Relative humidity.
Specific humidity: The actual quantity of water
vapor held by a parcel of air.
It is expressed by this formula:
g=grams and kg= kilograms

g (water vapor)
kg

Specific humidity is the amount of water vapor
available for precipitation;
Air temperature and specific humidity vary together
when temperature rises, the air can hold more
water molecules and specific humidity can rise;
Cold air holds less water vapor (lower specific
humidity) than warm, moist air.
Strahler & Strahler, Introducing Physical Geography (2006) (4
th
ed.), 123
(hereinafter: Strahler)

Heat causes water to evaporate
(http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/water/a_images/misc/hydcycle.pdf);
There is more insolation available at lower
latitudes to evaporate water. Strahler, p. 123
Since conditions (insolation) at lower latitudes
favor or support evaporation (the change of water
from a liquid to a gas) there is more water vapor
in the air;
This increases the specific humidity at lower
latitudes where temperatures are warmer than
the poles. Strahler, p. 123
Why warm air has a higher specific humidity than
cold air:
This chart shows
specific humidity is
greater at the
equator than at the
poles.
Relative Humidity:
A percentage that expresses the
amount of water vapor present
relative to the maximum amount that
the air can hold at any given
temperature.
Strahler, 124
How air temperature affects relative
humidity.
Cooler air can hold less water vapor
than warmer air;
When air is cooled, its capacity to
hold water vapor is lowered;
The existing water vapor is a higher
percentage of the total capacity of
the air to hold water vapor.
Math helps illustrate this.
In humid climates where the air can hold more
water vapor, the formula can be expressed as:
X (the amount of water vapor in the air)
100 (the amount of water vapor the air can hold);

In colder climates where the air can hold less water
vapor. If you divide the denominator by two and the
numerator remains constant, the formula can be
expressed as:
x (the amount of water vapor in the air)
50 (the amount of water vapor the air can hold)

Relative Humidity and a math formula
Lets say the relativity humidity at the Equator is 1 .
100
You take that same amount of water vapor in the air
and move it to the South Pole where the air can hold
say 50% less water vapor. You could divide the
denominator by 2 as shown:
1 divided by 1 = 1 x 2 = 2 = 1
100 2 100 1 100 50

Since 1 is greater than 1
50 100
you can see how relative humidity increases with a
decreased ability to hold water.

In the example just given, which fraction represents
the relative humidity in warm air where the
denominator is the amount of water vapor the air
can hold and the numerator is the amount of water
vapor present.


2
100

2
50
Correct: Because cold air can hold
less water vapor the denominator
(the amount of water vapor it can
hold) is smaller in cold air. This
makes the fraction greater when the
amount of water vapor present (the
numerator) is constant.
Click to continue
Incorrect:
If X = 2, which fraction is larger: _2_
100
or _2_ ?
50

Which is larger 2 which 1 or 2 ?
100 50 50
=
Click to continue
Theory: Air temperature increases
and relative humidity decreases
because warm air can hold more
water. Does this chart depict this
relationship?
Yes.
No.
Correct:
When air is cooled, the capacity of
air to hold water vapor decreases.
Strahler, 124
Hit this button to continue.
Incorrect:
Remember: Humidity refers to the amount of
water vapor in the air. Warm air can hold more
water vapor than cold air. Strahler, 123. Since
warm air can hold more water vapor than cold
air, the relative humidity of warm air (the
percentage illustrated by the fraction) is les
than the relative humidity of cold air.
Hit this button to
continue.
1. Direct gain or loss of water vapor.
For example, if there is an
exposed surface of water or wet
soil, additional water vapor can
enter the atmosphere through
evaporation and raise the specific
humidity.
2. A change in temperature.
Ways to increase relative humidity.
How can a change in specific
humidity affect relative humidity?
If more water vapor enters the atmosphere the
specific humidity (the actual quantity of water vapor
held by a parcel of air Strahler, p. 123) increases like this:
2 (water vapor in air) becomes 4
100 (water vapor air can hold) 100
This shows that the relative humidity
increases when the specific humidity
increases and the air remains at the
same temperature.
Part II
Altitude, precipitation, and
temperature.
How is the amount of water vapor air
can hold related to precipitation?
Answer: The natural cooling of the air
to the point where it is saturated with
and can hold no more water vapor
(the dew point) means that some of
the water molecules must change
their state from gas to ice or water.
Strahler, p. 125
What are some of the reasons that
can cause the temperature of air to
decrease?
Nighttime cooling;
Increases in elevation. Strahler, p. 126
When altitude increases atmospheric
pressure decreases. Strahler, p. 126
Altitude Air Pressure
Why does air pressure decrease with altitude?
Scientists in the 17
th
Century discovered that air
has weight;
The Earths gravitational field pulls on this air, and
the pull is called atmospheric pressure;
The Earths atmosphere grows thinner with
increases in altitude (fewer molecules per unit
volume of air). http://userpages.umbc.edu/~tokay/chapter5.html
The higher you go, the less air is above you, and
this means there is less air for gravity to affect.
(http://www.geography4kids.com/files/atm_pressure.html);
Changes in temperature can result from changes in
pressure on a volume of air; not heat flowing into or
away from a volume of air. Strahler, p. 126.
Why is this?
The adiabatic principle: When gas
is allowed to expand, its
temperature drops.when a gas
is compressed, its temperature
increases. Strahler, p. 126
If air is uplifted, the air pressure on it
is lowered. This causes the gas (air)
to expand and to cool. If air
descends, the air pressure on it is
raised. This causes the gas (air) to
compress and to warm.
This chart shows how decreases in temperature
correspond with increases in altitude.
When gas expands its temperature:
A. Drops;

B. Rises;

C. Remains the same.
A
B
C
Correct. The adiabatic principle
states that when a gas is allowed to
expand, its temperature drops.
Strahler, p. 126
Click to continue:
Incorrect. Click to go back and try
again.
Why does air pressure decrease with altitude?
Scientists in the 17
th
Century discovered that air
has weight;
The Earths gravitational field pulls on this air, and
the pull is called atmospheric pressure;
The Earths atmosphere grows thinner with
increases in altitude (fewer molecules per unit
volume of air). http://userpages.umbc.edu/~tokay/chapter5.html
The higher you go, the less air is above you, and
this means there is less air for gravity to affect.
(http://www.geography4kids.com/files/atm_pressure.html);
Changes in temperature can result from changes in
pressure on a volume of air; not heat flowing into or
away from a volume of air. Strahler, p. 126.
Why is this?
The adiabatic principle: When gas
is allowed to expand, its
temperature drops.when a gas
is compressed, its temperature
increases. Strahler, p. 126
If air is uplifted, the air pressure on it
is lowered. This causes the gas (air)
to expand and to cool. If air
descends, the air pressure on it is
raised. This causes the gas (air) to
compress and to warm.
Click to
continue
Incorrect. Click to go back and try
again.
Why does air pressure decrease with altitude?
Scientists in the 17
th
Century discovered that air
has weight;
The Earths gravitational field pulls on this air, and
the pull is called atmospheric pressure;
The Earths atmosphere grows thinner with
increases in altitude (fewer molecules per unit
volume of air). http://userpages.umbc.edu/~tokay/chapter5.html
The higher you go, the less air is above you, and
this means there is less air for gravity to affect.
(http://www.geography4kids.com/files/atm_pressure.html);
Changes in temperature can result from changes in
pressure on a volume of air; not heat flowing into or
away from a volume of air. Strahler, p. 126.
Why is this?
The adiabatic principle: When gas
is allowed to expand, its
temperature drops.when a gas
is compressed, its temperature
increases. Strahler, p. 126
If air is uplifted, the air pressure on it
is lowered. This causes the gas (air)
to expand and to cool. If air
descends, the air pressure on it is
raised. This causes the gas (air) to
compress and to warm.
Click to continue
What weve shown so far:
When elevation increases air pressure decreases;
When air pressure decreases, temperatures
decrease;
The cooling of air lowers its relative humidity - the
ability of air to hold moisture;
The water vapor that the cooler air can no longer
hold takes the form of precipitation.
When moist air is chilled, it
eventually reaches saturation.
When air is saturated it hold the
maximum amount of water vapor
possible.
If cooling continues, condensation
begins, and dew forms.
The point when saturation occurs is
called the dew-point temperature.
Strahler, p. 123

What happens when condensation
occurs as moist air is chilled as it
rises?
Continued uplifting of the air chills it;
Condensation occurs as water vapor
changes form from gas (vapor) to liquid.
Strahler, p. 126 27;
Changing form uses energy, and the
release of this energy warms the air.

From where does the energy come
that water molecules use when they
change from vapor to liquid?
As water evaporates and changes
from liquid to gas, it draws up heat
from the surroundings. Strahler, p. 63
This is why you feel cold when you
get out of a pool and stand in a
breeze. The water on your skin
evaporates and draws heat from your
body.
When the water changes from a gas/
vapor to a liquid (water) or from a
gas/vapor to a solid (ice), the water
molecules release the heat (latent
heat) they stored when they
evaporated and changed from water
to gas/vapor. Strahler, p. 121
The cooling rate for saturated air
reflects these twin processes that
occur simultaneously as moist air
rises. These twin process are:
cooling because the air rises;
warming because water molecules
in the moist air release energy when
they change form from gas/vapor to
liquid (condensation)
This cooling rate is called: The Wet
Adiabatic Rate. Strahler, p. 127.
The dry adiabatic rate is a physical
constant. It describes the behavior of
a parcel of rising air that has not
reached saturation. If the parcel of
rising air is saturated, the release of
latent heat through condensation and
the cooling because of increases in
elevation cause the cooling rate to
vary. This is called the wet adiabatic
rate.
Summary of what we have learned:
Warm air can hold more water
vapor than cold air it has a higher
specific humidity;
When air cools, its ability to hold
water vapor decreases and raises its
relative humidity;
When elevation cools air,
condensation forms (water vapor
changes to liquid);
Precipitation forms.
What we will learn in the next session:

How changes in elevation and mountain
ranges affect precipitation.