As condensation occurs and liquid water forms from the vapor, the water molecules become more organized and heat is released into the atmosphere as a result. Water molecules in the vapor form are arranged more randomly than in liquid water. The phase change that accompanies water as it moves between its vapor, liquid, and solid form is exhibited in the arrangement of water molecules. Condensation is responsible for ground-level fog, for your glasses fogging up when you go from a cold room to the outdoors on a hot, humid day, for the water that drips off the outside of your glass of iced tea, and for the water on the inside of the windows in your home on a cold day. You don't have to look at something as far away as a cloud to notice condensation, though. Condensation is the opposite of evaporation. These clouds may produce precipitation, which is the primary route for water to return to the Earth's surface within the water cycle. Condensation is crucial to the water cycle because it is responsible for the formation of clouds. Surface runoff Condensation and the Water CycleĬondensation is the process by which water vapor in the air is changed into liquid water.
