Transpiration is the process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts, such

as leaves, stems and flowers. Water is necessary for plants but only a small amount of water taken up by
the roots is used for growth and metabolism. The remaining 97–99.5% is lost by transpiration and
guttation.[1] Leaf surfaces are dotted with pores called stomata (singular "stoma"), and in most plants
they are more numerous on the undersides of the foliage. The stomata are bordered by guard cells and
their stomatal accessory cells (together known as stomatal complex) that open and close the pore.[2]
Transpiration occurs through the stomatal apertures, and can be thought of as a necessary "cost"
associated with the opening of the stomata to allow the diffusion of carbon dioxide gas from the air for
photosynthesis. Transpiration also cools plants, changes osmotic pressure of cells, and enables mass flow
of mineral nutrients and water from roots to shoots. Two major factors influence the rate of water flow
from the soil to the roots: the hydraulic conductivity of the soil and the magnitude of the pressure
gradient through the soil. Both of these factors influence the rate of bulk flow of water moving from the
roots to the stomatal pores in the leaves via the xylem.[3]

Evaporation is a type of vaporization that occurs on the surface of a liquid as it changes into the gas phase.
[1] High concentration of the evaporating substance in the surrounding gas significantly slows down
evaporation, such as when humidity affects rate of evaporation of water.[2] When the molecules of the
liquid collide, they transfer energy to each other based on how they collide. When a molecule near the
surface absorbs enough energy to overcome the vapor pressure, it will escape and enter the surrounding
air as a gas.[3] When evaporation occurs, the energy removed from the vaporized liquid will reduce the
temperature of the liquid, resulting in evaporative cooling.[4]

Condensation is the change of the state of matter from the gas phase into the liquid phase, and is the
reverse of vaporization. The word most often refers to the water cycle.[1] It can also be defined as the
change in the state of water vapor to liquid water when in contact with a liquid or solid surface or cloud
condensation nuclei within the atmosphere. When the transition happens from the gaseous phase into
the solid phase directly, the change is called deposition.

In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls
from clouds due to gravitational pull.[2] The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow,
ice pellets, graupel and hail. Precipitation occurs when a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated
with water vapor (reaching 100% relative humidity), so that the water condenses and "precipitates" or
falls. Thus, fog and mist are not precipitation but colloids, because the water vapor does not condense
sufficiently to precipitate. Two processes, possibly acting together, can lead to air becoming saturated:
cooling the air or adding water vapor to the air. Precipitation forms as smaller droplets coalesce via
collision with other rain drops or ice crystals within a cloud. Short, intense periods of rain in scattered
locations are called showers.[3]
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