Exam 4: Atmospheric Humidity

Hot and humid summer days usually feel ____________________ than hot and dry summer days.

The cycle of moving and transforming water molecules from liquid to vapor and back to liquid again is called the ____________________.

The hot, desert air of the Sahara often contains ____ water vapor than the cold, polar air farther north, therefore has a ____ specific humidity.​

With the aid of a figure, illustrate and describe the circulation of water in the atmosphere (the hydrologic cycle).

Condensation occurs primarily when air is cooled, because as temperature drops the speed of the water molecules increases.

Suppose it is snowing outside and the air is saturated. The air temperature and dew point are both 15 $\degree$ F, and the actual vapor pressure is 3 mb. If this air is brought indoors and warmed to 75 $\degree$ F, what would the relative humidity of this air be, assuming that its moisture content does not change? (The saturation vapor pressure at 75 $\degree$ F is 30 mb).​

Evaporation and transpiration from continental areas amount to only about ____ percent of the nearly 1.5 billion gallons of water vapor that annually evaporate into the atmosphere.​

The temperature difference between the dry bulb and the wet bulb is known as the ____.​

Using the concept of supercooled water, explain why ice cubes sometimes feel "sticky" when taking them out of the freezer.

What is meant by the terms water vapor saturation and saturation vapor pressure? Why does the saturation vapor pressure increase with increasing air temperature?

The ____ determines the amount of water vapor in the air by measuring the air's actual water vapor pressure.​

The average specific humidity is ____ in the warm, muggy tropics. As we move away from the tropics, it ____.​

In the liquid state, water molecules are ____ in the gaseous state.​

Instruments that measure humidity are called ____.​

Microscopic bits of dust, smoke, salt, and other particles that commonly are mixed in with air molecules are called ___________________.

Explain why the dew point temperature provides a better indication of the actual amount of water vapor in the air than relative humidity.

This instrument uses wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperature to obtain relative humidity:​

Why are specific humidity and mixing ratio more commonly used in representing atmospheric moisture than absolute humidity? What is the only way to change the specific humidity or mixing ratio of an air parcel?

​High relative humidities are normally found in the tropics and near the poles, where there is little separation between ____________________ and ____________________.

Which of the following always decreases in a rising parcel of air?​