Figure 10. When an air mass contains the maximum amount of water it can hold, it is saturated with water vapor. This is shown graphically in the plot above. With increasing temperature, the air can hold more water vapor, as indicated by higher saturation values. In general, it is not possible to have water contents that exceed saturation (in other words, the maximum relative humidity is 100%). Another way to think about relative humidity is that it describes how close the air is to saturation. In the example shown, the actual water vapor content is about 40% of that at saturation (i.e. the blue point is about 40% of the way to saturation) – meaning the RH = 40%.
Originally uploaded in Integrate:Teaching for Sustainability:InTeGrate Modules:Water Science and Society:Student Materials.
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