Daniela de Oliveira Maionchi*, Junior Goncalves da Silva, Iramaia Jorge Cabral de Paulo and Sergio Roberto de Paulo
This article introduces a theoretical framework investigating the impact of Relative Humidity (RH) on temperature variations in nature. Previously, an analysis relying solely on environmental thermodynamics governed by radiation and the Stefan-Boltzmann law, named the “dry model,” revealed a nocturnal cooling rate of approximately 0.9°C/h in low relative humidity conditions (<85%) across three distinct Brazilian forests within the Amazonian biome. However, this rate decreased notably when RH surpassed 85%, attributed to an additional heating effect resulting from the coalescence of water molecules in the air. In this study, a novel “wet model” is developed, integrating terms proportional to RH and its time derivative, under the premise that clusters of water molecules and latent heat crucially depend on the quantity of water molecules and intermolecular forces. The findings demonstrate a superior fit to the data using the proposed model, effectively capturing both the nocturnal temperature decline and diurnal variations. This advancement is significant as it underscores the importance of considering water molecule clusters in developing a more precise model to replace the current methodology.
