Latest Water vapor Stories
Water vapor is known to be Earth's most abundant greenhouse gas, but the extent of its contribution to global warming has been debated. Using recent NASA satellite data, researchers have estimated more precisely than ever the heat-trapping effect of water in the air, validating the role of the gas as a critical component of climate change.Andrew Dessler and colleagues from Texas A&M University in College Station confirmed that the heat-amplifying effect of water vapor is potent enough to...
Scientists are hoping to discover new information on how clouds over the Pacific Ocean can affect the global climate and weather systems. The clouds, some greater than the size of the US, refract sunlight back into space and chill the ocean below. The researchers expect to learn about the clouds' properties and if pollution from activities could alter the arrangement of these cloud systems. The study will engage 200 scientists from 10 countries in the research. An additional team of 20...
By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon A discussion of air and moisture barriers -- hmmm, that's enough to make you stop reading immediately, right? But what if we told you the proper construction materials and techniques could save you big money on energy bills and save your home from mold and other moisture-related problems? Letting air and moisture penetrate your home has several adverse effects. Mold and mildew grow in dark, damp spaces, even here in the deserts of Utah. Not only can mold...
An international team of scientists, headed by Prof. Daniel Rosenfeld of the Institute of Earth Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has come up with a surprising finding to the disputed issue of whether air pollution increases or decreases rainfall. The conclusion: both can be true, depending on local environmental conditions.The determination of this issue is one with significant consequences in an era of climate change and specifically in areas suffering from manmade pollution...
By Stan Finger, The Wichita Eagle, Kan. Aug. 1--In case you haven't noticed, it's been a rather cool summer in the Wichita area so far. That's about to change. After hitting 100 just once so far this summer, Wichita's about to string together three or four straight triple-digit days beginning this weekend, forecasters say. Computer models suggest the heat wave could last for more than a week. But that's not all. The consistent moisture that helped keep the area cooler than normal...
By Keith Purtell, Muskogee Phoenix, Okla. Jul. 23--Summer temperatures are creeping towards the danger zone. City of Muskogee Emergency Management Director Jimmy Moore said he hopes the public will place a special emphasis on checking on the elderly. "We don't want any heat-related deaths or illnesses," he said. Moore said the city plans to open a cool zone, depending on weather conditions. "When the National Weather Service predicts actual temperatures at or above 100 degrees for...
Sometimes seconds count. If a furious, tornado-spitting thunderstorm was bearing down on your home town, a few moments might make all the difference in the world.Will McCarty, a graduate student at the National Space Science and Technology Center, is working with data from NASA's Aqua satellite to improve short-term weather predictions--the kind that could help you dodge that thunderstorm.Guided by his NASA mentor, Gary Jedlovec, McCarty has already learned how to improve 48-hour forecasts by...
By Gray, John D Will climate change have the potential to impact aviation's future? This was the question that Karsten Shein, a climatologist at the National Climatic Data Center, posed to the Asheville chapter in November during his presentation "Aviation and Climate, Observations, Prognostications, and Ruminations." Shein began by noting that most of the world's large airports were constructed more than 40 years ago and most runway projects require 10 to 20 years from planning to...
By Larry Rulison, Albany Times Union, N.Y. Jul. 4--TROY -- An associate professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has figured out a way to make a pot of water boil more quickly. Nikhil Koratkar and a team of researchers at RPI lined a pot with tiny copper nanorods. They found that the copper material more effectively induced the "phase change" that occurs when the pot is heated to the boiling point, turning the water to vapor. The resulting benefit is that less energy is required to...
By Daniel Goldberg, The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C. Jul. 1--CARRBORO -- A return to water usage restrictions is not imminent for Orange Water and Sewer Authority customers despite below-normal rainfall in June, according to water utility officials. Thunderstorms dropped approximately 1.5 inches of water into OWASA reservoirs Sunday night, but rainfall for June was still about two inches short. The 30-year average for rainfall at OWASA's Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant is 4.26 inches in...
Latest Water vapor Reference Libraries
A thermal column is a column of rising air in lower altitudes of the atmosphere. Thermal columns are created by uneven heating patterns of the Earth's surface from solar radiation. The sun warms the ground, and the air directly above the ground begins to warm. As the warm air expands, it becomes less dense than the air around it and rises. As the warmer air rises, it cools due to its expansion in lower high-altitude pressures. When it cools to the same temperature as the surrounding air, it...
Water vapor (aqueous vapor) is the gaseous phase of water. It is one stage of the water cycle of our planet. Water vapor is formed from either evaporation or heating of liquid water, or from the sublimation of ice. In nature, water vapor is continuously produced by evaporation and removed by condensation. Along with carbon dioxide and methane gas, water vapor is one of the greenhouse gases. The release of water molecules from liquid water is considered evaporation. The transition of these...
Mist is a phenomenon that consists of small droplets of water suspended in air. Mist occurs as part of a natural weather event or from volcanic activity. Mist is most common in cold air above warm water. Mist also occurs when air is exhaled in cold temperatures or when steam is formed in a sauna. Aerosol cans can create artificial mist if the humidity levels are just right. The one difference between mist and fog is visibility. If visibility is less than 0.62 miles (1 kilometer), the...
Condensation is the change of the physical state of matter from a gaseous form into liquid form. When the transition of matter happens from gaseous to solid directly, it is known as deposition. Condensation occurs when a vapor is cooled or compressed to its dew point. Water vapor that naturally condenses on cold surfaces into liquid is called dew. Water vapor will only condense on another surface when the temperature of the surface is cooler than the temperature of the water vapor. Water...
White frost is a type of solid ice that forms directly from water vapor found in the air. White frost forms when the humidity is above 90% and the temperature is below 18 degrees Fahrenheit. White frost grows against the wind, since the facing winds have higher humidity than leeward air. The wind must be light or the delicate icy structures become broken. The structures have big, interlocking, needle-like crystals. This phenomenon occurs very rarely. White frost is considered an intermediate...
