What is the usual cause of the air becoming saturated?
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There are actually a few ways air can become saturated, so let's take a moment to investigate each.
1. Air becomes saturated due to evaporation.
Of course, this makes sense because in order for water vapor to enter the atmosphere, evaporation needs to occur. Evaporation is impacted by temperature, so if it's hot, the molecules move faster and are more likely to become a gas.
2. Air can also become saturated if it's cooled.
Colder air can hold less water vapor, so if you cool some hot air that is not saturated, it will eventually become saturated. Now, technically, this is a little more complicated, and it's not the air that 'holds' the water vapor, but more water vapor can be found in warmer air versus colder air, which is the take home message.
Air can cool for various reasons. For example, after the sun sets, the ground cools, which cools the air close to the earth's surface, causing it to reach saturation. Or, as a parcel of air rises, it will cool and expand as it gets higher in the atmosphere thus reaching its saturation point.
3. The mixing of two unsaturated air masses can create a saturated air parcel.
In this case, the two air masses are not saturated, but when they mix, they become saturated. For example, let's say you have cold air sitting above a warm body of water. As the water evaporates, it adds more water vapor to the cold air, causing it to become saturated. Before this mixing, the cold air was not saturated nor was the air with the water vapor from the lake. But after mixing, the cold air gained enough water vapor to reach saturation.
1. Air becomes saturated due to evaporation.
Of course, this makes sense because in order for water vapor to enter the atmosphere, evaporation needs to occur. Evaporation is impacted by temperature, so if it's hot, the molecules move faster and are more likely to become a gas.
2. Air can also become saturated if it's cooled.
Colder air can hold less water vapor, so if you cool some hot air that is not saturated, it will eventually become saturated. Now, technically, this is a little more complicated, and it's not the air that 'holds' the water vapor, but more water vapor can be found in warmer air versus colder air, which is the take home message.
Air can cool for various reasons. For example, after the sun sets, the ground cools, which cools the air close to the earth's surface, causing it to reach saturation. Or, as a parcel of air rises, it will cool and expand as it gets higher in the atmosphere thus reaching its saturation point.
3. The mixing of two unsaturated air masses can create a saturated air parcel.
In this case, the two air masses are not saturated, but when they mix, they become saturated. For example, let's say you have cold air sitting above a warm body of water. As the water evaporates, it adds more water vapor to the cold air, causing it to become saturated. Before this mixing, the cold air was not saturated nor was the air with the water vapor from the lake. But after mixing, the cold air gained enough water vapor to reach saturation.
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