What is water vapor?

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What is water vapor?

Water vapor is water in its gaseous state-instead of liquid or solid (ice). Water vapor is totally invisible. If you see a cloud, fog, or mist, these are all liquid water, not water vapor. Water vapor is extremely important to the weather and climate. Without out it, there would be no clouds or rain or snow, since all of these have their source in water vapor. All of the water vapor that evaporates from the surface of the Earth eventually returns as precipitation - rain or snow. Water vapor is also the Earth's most important greenhouse gas, giving us over 90% of the Earth's natural greenhouse effect, which helps keep the Earth warm enough to support life. When liquid water is evaporated to form water vapor, heat is absorbed. This helps to cool the surface of the Earth. This "latent heat of condensation" is released again when the water vapor condenses to form cloud water. This source of heat helps drive the updrafts in clouds and precipitation systems.

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