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How does evaporation transfer heat from Earth’s surface to the atmosphere?

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argon phase diagram — liquid Figure 1: Phase diagram of argon.

Evaporation transfers heat from Earth’s surface to the atmosphere through the absorption and transport of latent heat.12

When liquid water at the surface transitions into water vapour, it requires a significant amount of energy—known as the latent heat of vaporization—to break the hydrogen bonds holding the liquid molecules together. This energy is absorbed from the surface, effectively cooling it.321

The water vapour then carries this thermal energy into the atmosphere. When the vapour eventually condenses to form clouds or precipitation, that stored latent heat is released into the atmosphere. This nonradiative energy transfer is a primary mechanism for cooling the oceans and serves as a critical power source for atmospheric phenomena, including hurricanes.312