How rising temperatures are cause increased precipitation (an experiment)

Here's an experiment to show how increasing temperatures increase the amount of moisture in the air, designed by Renee Tonkin PhD, from Science Owl.

Climate change is causing dramatic changes in the Earth’s weather patterns. Scientists studying the climate have observed that higher temperatures on Earth are causing more water to evaporate. The amount of evaporated water in the air is known as humidity. Increasing humidity is leading to greater frequency of summer storms and hurricanes, both of which need warm, moist air in order to develop.  

Higher humidity is also leading to incidences of more frequent and heavier rainfall. In addition to that, water vapour is a greenhouse gas and accounts for about half of the greenhouse effect. So higher humidity leads to a greater warming effect, which causes more water to evaporate. This creates a ‘feedback loop’, making climate change occur more quickly.

This practical experiment demonstrates the relationship between higher temperatures and higher humidity. The experiment also gives a simple demonstration of how rain occurs.

You will need the following:

• 2 litre glass jar with an airtight lid
• Large bulldog clip
• Tea towel
• Ice pack
• Cardboard inner tube from a toilet roll
• Cling film
• Digital hygrometer
• Blu Tak
• String
• Ruler
• Heat mat
• Tap water

You can chart your results by downloading this spreadsheet.