What is the evaporation of water and examples

Water evaporation is a physical process whereby the water goes from being in liquid state To be in Gaseous state. To do this, there must have accumulated sufficient energy in the form of heat to overcome its surface tension. It is not necessary that all the mass of water has overcome the boiling point (still reading to understand this last concept). Different factors influence this process:

• Steam saturation: The steam pressure difference between liquid water and the environment contributes to water evaporation. Basically, water tends to distribute evenly, going from where there is greater saturation to where there is less saturation. As a simple rule, the drier the environment (or in other words, the lower the steam saturation), the more evaporation it will occur.
• Atmospheric pressure: At lower atmospheric pressure, evaporation will be given more easily. In nature we do not care so much, since in the mountains, where the pressure descends, the temperature also descends, so it does not become a significant phenomenon.
• Temperature: The molecules need to have a kinetic energy such that it is able to break the surface tension barrier. At higher temperature, greater evaporation.

Some of the most important examples of water evaporation are the following:

Evaporation of surface water

The evaporation of the water that runs through the earth’s surface is one of the water sources to the atmosphere. It occurs especially in warm and dry environments and in large surfaces of water, such as lakes or reservoirs. It can also occur in different soil horizons, being much more prominent in superficial. In this case, the surface tension of the water is not exceeded, but the adhesion of the water molecules to the ground.

Plant perspiration

Plants need to open small pores called stomata, which are usually placed on the wrapping of the sheet, and that allow them to perform the gas exchange. This exchange includes water output and its liberation to the atmosphere. For the plant, this process is indispensable: it is the one that contributes mostly to the plant can continue drinking water from the ground. As for the environment, plants have direct action in the water cycle; Its action can be summarized in drinking water from the ground to release the atmosphere in the form of steam.

Evapotranspiration

This concept includes both the evaporation of surface waters and the perspiration of plants, leading to cloud formation and contributing to the water saturation of each ecosystem. This combination of phenomena allows the so -called “water cycle”.

Learn more about what the water cycle is with this other Ecology Verde.

Refrigeration in animals

Many animals, especially mammals, use the evaporation of water as a means for refrigeration. For example, humans we sweat, which allows the heat in our skin to “store” in the water molecules of our sweat, which disappears with evaporation. Other animals (a very close example are dogs), open their mouth when breathing, allowing a higher water evaporation rate.

Evaporation in industrial processes

Some industrial processes also release a considerable amount of water to the atmosphere. For example, nuclear plants and thermal plants have cooling circuits based on the “storage” of the excess heat in the form of water vapor, which is subsequently released. On the other hand, these centrals also use water vapor (in closed circuit) to move the turbines that will finally generate electricity.

Water evaporation can occur from 32ºC. However, for boiling, 100ºC needs to be reached, a point where water and air pressure are equalized.

What is water boiling

Boiling is a phenomenon in which water evaporation occurs when its boiling point is reached, that is, when the pressures of water and atmosphere are equalized. Normally, it is given to 100ºCunder a pressure atmosphere.

However, when the pressure descends, the boiling point also descends. For example, the boiling point can occur at less than 100ºC in the mountains, since atmospheric pressure descends. Once the boiling point is reached, the temperature remains constant you have to end the process.

Evaporation and condensation are basically opposite processes. While evaporation consists in the transformation of water into liquid state into water in a gaseous state, in water condensation passes from state gas to liquid state.

What is condensation

To be the passage from gaseous state to liquid state, water molecules must lose kinetic energy, normally in the form of heat. This energy is lost, the molecules adopt less mobility and end up getting together with each other.

Learn more about what is the condensation of water and examples with this other post of ecology.

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