What happens to the rate of evaporation if the amount of water in air is already high and what happens to the rate of evaporation if the amount of water in air is already high?
The rate of evaporation will decrease if the amount of water in the air is already high. This is because the air is already saturated with water vapor, and there is not enough space for more water vapor to enter. The amount of water vapor in the air is called humidity. The higher the humidity, the slower the rate of evaporation.
Here are some other factors that affect the rate of evaporation:
- Temperature: The higher the temperature, the faster the rate of evaporation. This is because the molecules of water have more energy at higher temperatures, and they are more likely to escape from the liquid surface.
- Wind: Wind can help to evaporate water by blowing away the water vapor that has already evaporated. This exposes more water molecules to the air, which can increase the rate of evaporation.
- Surface area: The larger the surface area of the liquid, the faster the rate of evaporation. This is because there are more water molecules available to evaporate from a larger surface area.
- The presence of impurities: Impurities in the water can slow down the rate of evaporation. This is because the impurities can block the water molecules from escaping from the liquid surface.
The amount of water vapour present in the air is called humidity. The rate of evaporation decreases with an increase in humidity. If there is already water vapour in the air then it’s tough to add more water vapour into the air. So the rate of evaporation decreases with increase in humidity. Evaporation can be viewed as an equilibrium process through which the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere reaches equilibrium with the amount of water in the surface of the liquid. Therefore, the greater the amount of water vapours in the atmosphere over the liquid, the slower the rate of evaporation. The amount of water vapor in atmosphere determines the level of humidity. As the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere increases so does the level of humidity. Higher humidity levels result in excessive sweating and this sweat does not dry quickly leaving us feeling hot and sticky. The evaporation of water will increase by increasing the temperature of the water as at higher temperatures, the molecules move faster; therefore, it is more likely for a molecule to have enough energy to break away from the liquid to become a gas. The water level will decrease as it is exposed to the heat of the sun. Although the level of a lake, pool, or glass of water will decrease due to evaporation, the escaped water molecules dont disappear. They stay in the atmosphere, affecting humidity, or the amount of moisture in the air. Altitude and height play an important role in vaporization of the water as water vapours are heavy and at higher altitude, the air density decreases. Thus, it becomes difficult for heavier particles that make water vapours to get vaporized. Hence, the rate of water vaporization decreases with increase in altitude. The air around us cannot hold more than a definite amount of water vapour at a given temperature. If the amount of water in the air is already high, the rate of evaporation decreases. If the air is saturated with great amount of water causing high humidity, it decreases the rate of evaporation of water. Humidity is inversely proportional to the rate of evaporation. So the rate of evaporation at a given place is always dependent on the humidity of that place. If the air is already filled with water vapor, it will not have any place to hold excess vapor and therefore, evaporation will occur at an extremely slow rate.
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