Humidity
For upon |Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. If there is a lot of water vapor in the air, the humidity will be high. The higher the humidity, the wetter it feels outside. Have you ever visited a place that just made you feel hot and sticky the entire time, no matter what you did to cool off?
Waterfall in Cameroon
Ekom, Cameroon, is very hot and humid. Near this waterfall or the amount of water vapor suspended in the air, is so high that it is not easy for people to breathe.
Japanese Farmers
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Tacit farmers outside the U.S. Air Base in Kadena, Japan, take a brief moment to rest from the summer heat. At Kadena and other military bases on Okinawa, U.S. military officials and local town mayors permit farmers to grow crops, such as sugar cane, on land leased from local landowners by the government of Japan for use by the U.S. military. These farmers are known as “tacit farmers.”
Multnomah National Park
The high humidity in Multnomah National Park, Oregon, fosters the growth of moss so luxuriant that it covers other vegetation, including trees and shrubs.
Fresco at Pompeii
An ancient Roman fresco found at Pompeii shows a young couple holding writing instruments. Frescoes are a type of painting that involves using pigment mixed with water on a layer of wet plaster. The painting, done before the plaster dries, is part of the wall. Frescoes like this one, dated to around 50 CE, are threatened by moisture. This fresco is preserved in controlled conditions at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples, Italy.
Have you ever visited a place that just made you feel hot and sticky the entire time, no matter what you did to cool off? You can thank humidity for that unpleasant feeling.
Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. If there is a lot of water vapor in the air, the humidity will be high. The higher the humidity, the wetter it feels outside.
On the weather reports, humidity is usually explained as relative humidity. Relative humidity is the amount of water vapor actually in the air, expressed as a percentage of the maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold at the same temperature. Think of the air at a chilly -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit). At that temperature, the air can hold, at most, 2.2 grams of water per cubic meter. So if there are 2.2 grams of water per cubic meter when it’s -10 degrees Celsius outside, we’re at an uncomfortable 100 percent relative humidity. If there were 1.1 grams of water in the air at -10 degrees Celsius, we’re at 50 percent relative humidity.
When humidity is high, the air is so clogged with water vapor that there isn’t room for much else. If you sweat when it’s humid, it can be hard to cool off because your sweat can’t evaporate into the air like it needs to.
Humidity is blamed for all kinds of negative things, including mold in your house (usually the bathroom, where it’s wet a lot of the time), as well as malfunctions in regular household electronics. Moisture from humid air settles or condenses, on electronics. This can interrupt the electric current, causing a loss of power. Computers and television sets can lose power like this if not protected from the effects of humidity. Living with humidity is easier with the aid of a dehumidifier, which sucks the moisture out of the air.
High humidity is also associated with hurricanes. Air with high moisture content is necessary for a hurricane to develop. U.S. states such as Texas and Louisiana, which border the very warm Gulf of Mexico, have humid climates. This results in tons of rainfall, lots of flooding, and the occasional hurricane.
The article was originally published here.
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