Air humidity, also called atmospheric humidity, represents the amount of water vapor present in the atmosphere.
It is a factor that influences temperature, thermal sensation and precipitation.
In turn, air humidity is influenced by several factors such as maritime, continentality, air masses, vegetation type, among others.
Places close to the sea or rivers, water evaporation tends to be greater. Therefore, in these environments, the air humidity is higher than in places far from water currents.
In relation to the local climate, we can understand that the air humidity is related to the thermal amplitude. That is, the difference between the highest and lowest temperature reached in a given period.
Thus, the greater the humidity in the air, the smaller the thermal amplitude. On the other hand, the lower the humidity in the air, the greater the thermal amplitude. This is because depending on the humidity of the air, the temperature variation will be greater or lesser.
As an example, let's think of the desert where the climate is arid and the air humidity is relatively low. In desert areas the temperature variation in a day is very large.
There, daytime temperatures can reach 50 degrees and at night, 0 degrees. Thus, in this place where the thermal amplitude is large, we have little air humidity.
Regarding vegetation, we can mention the Amazon Forest, which has a high amount of air humidity.
Tall trees prevent heat from spreading to lower places, close to the ground. In addition, the large amount of water present helps this region to maintain high air humidity.
Therefore, the thermal amplitude in the Amazon rainforest tends to be low. There, the temperature can vary up to 5 degrees between day and night.
In summary, if the air humidity is low, the place usually has a dry climate and low rainfall. On the other hand, if the air humidity is high, the place has a humid climate with higher occurrences of rain.
Thus, it is easy to understand that the air humidity tends to be lower in the hottest periods (in the day, for example) and higher in the colder periods (at night).
Types
Air humidity is classified in two ways:
- Absolute Air Humidity: total amount of water vapor in the air.
- Relative humidity: amount of water vapor in the air, which can vary from 0% (absence of water vapor) to 100% (maximum amount of water vapor). When it is at 100%, the air reaches its saturation point, that is, the maximum amount of water vapor it can contain. In this case, this excess water will precipitate.
Air Humidity and Health
It is important to highlight that the humidity in the air directly influences our health. When it's low, the air tends to get drier.
In this scenario, there is a greater propensity to be affected by respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, allergies or nosebleeds.
When we breathe, our nostrils are lubricated with water vapor present in the air. Thus, if the humidity of the place is greater, we may feel less uncomfortable when breathing.
However, when it is too high, the proliferation of fungi can also be a health problem.
Having made this observation, we can see that atmospheric humidity interferes with our health as well as the population's quality of life.
Curiosity
The instrument that measures air humidity is called a hygrometer.
Read too:
- water cycle
- sandy soil
- thermal range
- Factors Influencing the Climate
