Humidity is the term that refers to measure of water vapour or moisture that currently resides in the air. Humidity in the air usual occurs after a period when there has been rain followed by warmth. This is because of the excessive amount of water that is evaporating and entering the atmosphere.
If the air is regarded as particularly humid and the temperature is high, this makes for a rather uncomfortable experience for us humans. This is because our hypothalamus gland is attempting to normalise our body temperature by initiating a sequence of sweating.
Normally, the sweat we secrete is evaporated and extracted by the air. This is turn is what makes us feel cooler. However, if the humidity of the air is already very high, the sweat that you secrete is not being absorbed into the atmosphere because there is already an excessive amount of vapour in the air.
Higher humidity is also the reason behind why we can wake up after a night of no rain, yet the grass is wet and covered in dew. This is because the temperature has dropped overnight and the water vapour in the air has materialised into actual water.
There are different terms for different types of humidity. These are mostly alternative ways of measuring humidity in the atmosphere. Firstly, there is the absolute humidity. This is regarded as the measure of vapour mass in a specific volume of air. This is often measured by calculating the number of kilograms of water vapour in a certain cubic metre of air.
Secondly there is specific humidity. This is where you measure the balance between dry air with very little or no vapour and humid air. Again, this ratio is measured in kilograms of water vapour present in a particular cubic metre of air. The third is relative humidity. This is recognised as the percentage of water vapour that is present in a combination of both air and water.
If the air is regarded as particularly humid and the temperature is high, this makes for a rather uncomfortable experience for us humans. This is because our hypothalamus gland is attempting to normalise our body temperature by initiating a sequence of sweating.
Normally, the sweat we secrete is evaporated and extracted by the air. This is turn is what makes us feel cooler. However, if the humidity of the air is already very high, the sweat that you secrete is not being absorbed into the atmosphere because there is already an excessive amount of vapour in the air.
Higher humidity is also the reason behind why we can wake up after a night of no rain, yet the grass is wet and covered in dew. This is because the temperature has dropped overnight and the water vapour in the air has materialised into actual water.
There are different terms for different types of humidity. These are mostly alternative ways of measuring humidity in the atmosphere. Firstly, there is the absolute humidity. This is regarded as the measure of vapour mass in a specific volume of air. This is often measured by calculating the number of kilograms of water vapour in a certain cubic metre of air.
Secondly there is specific humidity. This is where you measure the balance between dry air with very little or no vapour and humid air. Again, this ratio is measured in kilograms of water vapour present in a particular cubic metre of air. The third is relative humidity. This is recognised as the percentage of water vapour that is present in a combination of both air and water.
