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In an enclosed environment, a liquid will evaporate until the surrounding air is saturated. Evaporation is an essential part of the water cycle. The sun (solar energy) drives evaporation of water from oceans, lakes, moisture in the soil, and other sources of water. In hydrology, evaporation and transpiration (which involves evaporation within ...
Liquid water that becomes water vapor takes a parcel of heat with it, in a process called evaporative cooling. [3] The amount of water vapor in the air determines how frequently molecules will return to the surface. When a net evaporation occurs, the body of water will undergo a net cooling directly related to the loss of water.
As water evaporates from an area of Earth's surface, the air over that area becomes moist. Moist air is lighter than the surrounding dry air, creating an unstable situation. When enough moist air has accumulated, all the moist air rises as a single packet, without mixing with the surrounding air.
This relationship is known as the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. The strength of the water cycle and its changes over time are of considerable interest, especially as the climate changes. [26] The hydrological cycle is a system whereby the evaporation of moisture in one place leads to precipitation (rain or snow) in another place.
Evapotranspiration is a combination of evaporation and transpiration, measured in order to better understand crop water requirements, irrigation scheduling, [4] and watershed management. [5] The two key components of evapotranspiration are: Evaporation: the movement
The equilibrium vapor pressure is an indication of a liquid's thermodynamic tendency to evaporate. It relates to the balance of particles escaping from the liquid (or solid) in equilibrium with those in a coexisting vapor phase. A substance with a high vapor pressure at normal temperatures is often referred to as volatile. The pressure ...
Vaporization (or vapo(u)risation) of an element or compound is a phase transition from the liquid phase to vapor. [1] There are two types of vaporization: evaporation and boiling. Evaporation is a surface phenomenon, whereas boiling is a bulk phenomenon (a phenomenon in which the whole object or substance is involved in the process).
Liquid crystal: Properties intermediate between liquids and crystals. Generally, able to flow like a liquid but exhibiting long-range orientational order. Supercritical fluid: A fluid with properties intermediate of liquids and gasses. At sufficiently high temperatures and pressures, the distinction between liquid and gas disappears, resulting ...