David Streed CHEM 126D Abdella Chemistry Article #2 Thermodynamics and thermochemistry are all around us something that

climate scientists Dale Durran and Dargan Frierson are clearly aware of in their article Condensation, atmospheric motion, and cold beer. This article, published in Physics Today, examines the role of heat and humidity in warming up beverages on summer days. As the sun peaks out of the April clouds and the snow of winter finally melts away understanding the thermodynamics of beverage temperature is an important scientific matter. Durran came up with the idea to conduct experiments to demonstrate the effect condensation has on heat change while teaching an entry-level atmospheric science class. A quick in class calculation showed a film of water four thousandths of an inch thick can release enough heat to raise the temperature of a can of liquid nearly nine degrees Fahrenheit. The seemingly shocking result of this theoretical calculation drove Durran, and later Frierson, to conduct experiments on this phenomenon. To test whether humidity and condensation can have a dramatic effect on the temperature of water Durran and Frierson used an experimental machine from the 1950s that was used to study cloud formation. Undergraduate assistants would cool cans with liquid, dry them, and put them in the cloud formation chamber dialed to imitate conditions of high humidity. The measured temperature changes proved to be similar to the rough calculations Durran made in his class. The expected, but still shocking results factor into Friersons primary research on water vapor, heat transfer, and global climate change. Frierson sheds light onto the importance of understanding the amount of heat condensation can release will become increasingly important as climate change begins to occur. When Frierson says, we expect a much moister atmosphere with global warning because warmer air can hold a lot more water vapor, he means to draw some conclusions regarding the increasing importance condensations role in temperature change. Change climate and increasing heat and humidity will change wind, weather, and storm patterns and the experiment performed for this paper demonstrates a basic principle of this coming change. In chapter twelve of the IMT book we discussed the role of free energy change and dew point on temperature. When the gas and liquid in the atmosphere are at equilibrium condensation, an exothermic process, occurs and this process releases heat into the atmosphere and prevents the temperature from falling as much as it could at night. The exothermic process of condensation on a bottle or can of liquid studied in this experiment releases heat in like the heat released by condensation when the dew point is reached. I was not able to find the article in the St. Olaf Library Bridge system, but the findings of the researchers is available on physicstoday.org. I read the abstract that provided further insight into the findings of the authors. University of Washington. "Keeping beverages cool in summer: I''s not just the heat, it's the humidity." ScienceDaily, 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2013.