Why is condensation a heating process

Example: holding your hand over a stove burner. In meteorology, we speak of convection predominantly as that caused by rising currents of warm air. We refer to all other mass motions of air as advection.

Example: heat felt when standing away from a large fire on a calm night. Everything that has a temperature above absolute zero radiates energy. Radiation is not "felt" until it is absorbed by a substance. It does not require a medium to transfer energy through as do conduction and convection. Specific Heat Specific heat is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance one degree Celsius. For example, the Gulf of Mexico remains warm during the night, when air and soil temperatures decrease rapidly.

Why is the Southern Hemisphere summer generally not warmer than the Northern Hemisphere summer although Earth is closer to the sun during the Southern Hemisphere summer? Because most of the Southern Hemisphere is water, which regulates the seasonal temperatures.

The driving force for atmospheric motion is the sun and, in particular, the uneven distribution of solar radiation across the earth. Energy is the ability or capacity to do work on some form of matter.

There are several forms of energy, including the following: Potential energy is the energy which a body possesses as a consequence of its position in a gravitational field e. Kinetic energy is the energy which a body possesses as a consequence of its motion e. It is dependent upon an object's mass and velocity e. Internal energy is the total energy potential and kinetic stored in molecules. Heat or thermal energy is kinetic energy due to motion of atoms and molecules.

It is energy that is in the process of being transferred from one object to another because of their temperature difference. Radiant energy is the energy that propagates through space or through material media in the form of electromagnetic radiation.

While condensation does cool the air inside of the air parcel, in order for that cooling to occur, that parcel must release heat into the surrounding environment.

Thus, when speaking about the effect of condensation on the overall atmosphere , it warms it. Here's how it works: Remember from chemistry class that molecules in a gas are energetic and move very fast, while those in a liquid move slower.

In order for condensation to happen, the water vapor molecules must release energy so that they can slow their movement. This energy is hidden and is therefore called latent heat. A number of well-known weather phenomenon are caused by condensation, including:. The opposite of condensation is evaporation. Evaporation is the process of changing liquid water into water vapor a gas. It transports water from the Earth's surface to the atmosphere. It should be noted that solids, like ice, can also evaporate or be transformed directly into a gas without first becoming a liquid.

In meteorology, this is called sublimation. For water molecules to go from a liquid to an energized gaseous state, they must first absorb heat energy. They do this by colliding with other water molecules. Evaporation is called a "cooling process" because it removes heat from the surrounding air.

Evaporation in the atmosphere is a crucial step in the water cycle. Water on Earth's surface will evaporate into the atmosphere as energy is absorbed by liquid water. Water molecules that exist in the liquid phase are free-flowing and in no particular fixed position. Once energy is added to water by heat from the sun, the bonds between the water molecules gain kinetic energy or energy in motion. They then escape the surface of the liquid and become a gas water vapor , which then rises into the atmosphere.

When condensations forms, water vapor condenses from a gas into a liquid. A process that removes heat from the atmosphere, such as melting, is a cooling process. Condensation is a warming process because energy that is transferred to the cool surface by the molecules undergoing a phase change will cause the temperature of the cool surface to increase.

Dew point. The temperature at which water vapor is turned into water. Asked by: Siny Pungert asked in category: General Last Updated: 30th March, Why do we say that evaporation is a cooling process and condensation a warming process? What is an example of evaporation? Examples of Evaporation. Two familiar examples of evaporation are sweating and the rain cycle. Water on earth's surface evaporates and travels up through the atmosphere, where it's cooler.

The cooler temperatures cause the vapor to condense back into water droplets, which come together to form clouds. How does evaporation happen? Evaporation happens when a liquid substance becomes a gas.

When water is heated, it evaporates. The molecules move and vibrate so quickly that they escape into the atmosphere as molecules of water vapor. Heat from the sun, or solar energy, powers the evaporation process. What is the cooling process called? In summary, evaporative cooling is the process of removing heat from a surface due to the evaporation of water. Water can absorb a lot of heat without changing phases, allowing it to remove heat from the surface it is on.

When water turns from liquid to gas, it's called evaporation. Is boiling a warming or cooling process?

Boiling can be considered as a cooling process because as a liquid reaches its critical temperature, heat escapes through rapid evaporation. Essentially, boiling happens when liquids turn into gases, forcing excess heat out of the liquid.