Water vapor
Gaseous phase of water.
- Water vapor500 related topics
Greenhouse gas
Gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect.
The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide , methane , nitrous oxide , and ozone.
Atmosphere of Earth
Layer of gases retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere.
Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1% at sea level, and 0.4% over the entire atmosphere.
Precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds.
Sublimation (phase transition)
Transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas state, without passing through the liquid state.
Similarly the combustion of candles, containing paraffin wax, to carbon dioxide and water vapor is not sublimation but a chemical reaction with oxygen.
Hydrosphere
Combined mass of water found on, under, and above the surface of a planet, minor planet, or natural satellite.
At any given time, about 2 × 1013 tonnes of this is in the form of water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere (for practical purposes, 1 cubic metre of water weighs 1 tonne).
Ice
Water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
It may also be deposited directly by water vapor, as happens in the formation of frost.
Dew point
The dew point is the temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated with water vapor, assuming constant air pressure and water content.
Frost
Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) to ice (a solid) as the water vapor reaches the freezing point.
Hygrometer
A hygrometer is an instrument used to measure the amount of water vapor in air, in soil, or in confined spaces.