Aviation meteorology

Humidity
 Content

1. Introduction
2. Definition of Latent Heat
3. Processes of water state change (evaporation, saturation, condensation,
freezing, melting, sublimation)
4. Humidity Measurement
5. Bergeron theory
6. Measurement of Humidity
7. Dew point temperature
8. Diurnal Variation of Humidity

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 Latent heat

Definition
• The latent heat of a substance is the heat
absorbed or released without change of
temperature when the substance changes state.
• Latent heat differs according to the state of the
substance.
• In case of melting, evaporation and sublimation
latent heat is absorbed.
• Freezing, condensation and unsublimation
latent heat is released.

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Latent heat
The air is warming or cooling by changes in water state
Processes of change of water state
Evaporare
• Evaporation is the change of state from liquid to
vapour;
• Latent heat is absorbed;
• Evaporation can occur at any temperature;
• For a particular temperature there is a particular
amount of water per unit volume that the air can
hold (saturation); when this maximum is reached,
evaporation will cease;
• Warm air can hold more water vapour
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than cold
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Processes of change of water state
Saturation

Air is saturated if it contains the maximum amount of water vapour that it can
hold at that temperature.

Air becomes saturated by:

• adding more water vapour to it.
• cooling the air.

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Processes of change of water state
Condensation
• Condensation is the change of state from vapour to liquid.
• Latent heat is released.
• Condensation causes cloud and fog to form.
• Condensation will require minute impurities or particles called hygroscopic
or condensation nuclei; these are usually present in abundance in the
troposphere.
• If saturated air is cooled, condensation will occur.

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Processes of change of water state
Freezing
• Is the process when the water droplet is cooled below
zero, then it may change state again to ice.
• requires the presence of freezing nuclei;
• these are less common in the troposphere than
condensation nuclei, so it is possible to have water
droplets in the atmosphere with temperatures below
0°C  supercooled water droplets and give us the icing
hazard.

Melting
• The opposite change of state, from solid to liquid, is
called melting. (There is no superfrozen state).

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Processes of change of water state

Sublimation
• Sublimation is the change of state directly from water vapour to ice or from
ice directly to water vapour without water droplets being formed.
• Latent heat is released.
• This process is also known as deposition.

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 Humidity Measurement
• Absolute Humidity is the weight of water vapour in unit volume of air. It is usually
expressed in g/m3 .
• Humidity Mixing Ratio (HMR) is the weight of water vapour contained in unit mass of
dry air. The Humidity Mixing Ratio is usually expressed in g/kg. In unsaturated air, HMR
remains constant during ascent while temperature and pressure decreases.
• Saturation Mixing Ratio (SMR) is the maximum amount of water vapour a unit mass of
dry air can hold at a specified temperature.
• Relative Humidity (RH) is the amount of water vapour present in a volume of air
divided by the maximum amount of water vapour which that volume could hold at
that temperature expressed as a percentage; it is given in percentage (%);

• When RH = 100%  saturation.

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Humidity Measurement

The Amount of Water Vapour the Air can

Hold when Saturated at Different
Temperatures

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 Bergeron Theory
• At temperatures below 0 °C the partial
pressure at saturation for the formation of
water is greater than the partial pressure for the
formation of ice.
•  the air becomes saturated for the formation
of ice before it becomes saturated for the
formation of water (at temperatures below zero
the water vapour will go directly to the solid
state without first going through the liquid
state).
• This may be stated as: “the saturation vapour
pressure over water is greater than over
ice”.

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 Bergeron Theory

The table shows the same effect in terms of relative humidity for water and ice, for example, at -10°C when the air
is saturated for the formation of ice the relative humidity for water is 91%. The effect of this is that when
supercooled water droplets exist (at temperatures below 0°C), the water droplets will evaporate saturating the air
(for the formation of ice) and the water vapour will now sublime out as ice. This effect is important in the formation
of precipitation in clouds when the temperature is below 0°C and in the formation of fog.

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Humidity measurement

• Atmospheric humidity is measured using a (1) dry bulb and

wet bulb hygrometer or psychrometer or (2) an electrical
hygrometer.
• If air is dry, water will evaporate from the muslin covering
the wet bulb and latent heat will lower the temperature.
• If air is saturated, no evaporation will occur and
thermometers will read the same.
• Dew point, relative humidity and HMR are read from tables
or slide rule by entering with the two temperatures
obtained.

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 Dew Point Temperature
• Dew point (DP) is the temperature to which air must
be cooled at constant pressure for saturation to
occur.
• Dew point temperature is not the same as the wet
bulb temperature (except at saturation).
• The dew point has a lapse rate of 0.5°C/1000 ft Wet
bulb = dry bulb (= dew point) – 100% RH
(saturation)

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 By definition:
Diurnal Variation of Humidity Saturated Air: RH=100%
Dry Air: RH<100%
E.g. RH=99.9% - Dry Air
• By day, as the temperature increases, RH will
decrease because the maximum amount of
water vapour air can hold increases as the
temperature rises.
• RH = maximum la cca 30 min după răsărit
• After 15:00 hrs, the temperature will start to fall
and the maximum amount of water vapour the
air can hold will fall and thus the RH will
increase.
• The higher RH at night is the reason for the
formation of mist and fog after dark in autumn
and winter.
Meteorology Lesson 7 Part 1 ATPL
Meteorology Lesson 7 Part 2 ATPL
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