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?

What will be an ideal response?


ANSWER: A rising or descending parcel of air will experience a change in its volume because of the changes in surrounding air pressure. Consequently, when a volume of air fluctuates, the absolute humidity changes—even though the air's vapor content has remained constant. For this reason, the absolute humidity is not commonly used in atmospheric studies. Specific humidity and mixing ratio, on the other hand, do not depend on the volume of the air. Specific humidity and mixing ratio can only change if water vapor is added or taken away from an air parcel.?

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

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