Areal distribution and diurnal variation of water vapor near the ground in the contiguous United States

Abstract

The purpose of the dissertation is to present and discuss the areal distribution of dew point and vapor pressure near the ground in the United States less Hawaii and Alaska. The analysis is based on hourly psychrometric observations at nearly 200 stations for lengths of record which average ten years. Maps of average monthly dew point and its standard deviation, average monthly vapor pressure, and maps presenting four characteristic types of diurnal variation of dew point each month are included in an Appendix to the dissertation. The history of the development of knowledge of water vapor in the atmosphere is also covered in an Appendix to add perspective to the study. The maps are a contribution to the climatography of the United States since the standard maps of average monthly vapor pressure still in use were prepared in 1917, and there are no previous maps showing the several measures of variability of average water vapor content of the air near the ground included in this study [TRUNCATED]