What Is Wet-Bulb Temperature?
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Provided by: Probable Futures|Published on: March 30, 2025
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This article from Probable Futures explains wet-bulb temperatures, how they are measured, and how climate change will result in more days where the temperature plus humidity makes it feel hotter.
- Students will learn about the ways that hot and humid conditions can affect human health and limit the ability of sweating to cool our internal body temperature.
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: Probable Futures
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This article is brief and thus can be implemented even during very short class periods.
- The website has a very simple, uncluttered design, minimizing distractions so students can focus on the article's content.
Prerequisites
- Students should understand evaporation.
- Students should also have some background knowledge about climate change.
Differentiation & Implementation
- The video What Is Wet Bulb Temperature? from The Kid Should See provides animations to further illustrate wet-bulb temperature, which can help students who need more clarification after reading the article.
- Teachers can connect the idea of wet-bulb temperature to students' previous experiences by asking if they or their parents have ever checked the "feels like" or "heat index" temperature on their weather app. Teachers can ask students what factors make this temperature different from the actual temperature.
- Teachers can pair this article with the interactive resource Heat: Maps of Temperature where students can explore how climate change impacts temperature changes around the world.
This article introduces and explains what wet-bulb temperature is, how it differs from standard temperature (or dry-bulb temperature), how it can be used, and why it is an important measurement for humans. There are many different ways the amount of water in the air can be quantified, including wet-bulb temperature, so understanding what it is and how it differs from other measurements, such as humidity, is essential when exploring the amount of water in the air. Wet-bulb temperature is important when studying climate change as it is a common metric used in discussions of how habitable or dangerous to human health places will be due to heat and humidity, currently and in the future. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
Probable Futures
Probable Futures offers useful tools and maps to visualize climate change along with stories and insights to help people understand what those changes mean.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
