Evapotranspiration is the combination of which processes?

• A. Condensation and Infiltration
• B. Evaporation and Transpiration
• C. Evaporation and Percolation
• D. Runoff and Infiltration

Answer: (B)

Evapotranspiration is the total transfer of water from the land to the atmosphere through two processes: evaporation, which is water from soil, open water, and wet surfaces turning into vapor, and transpiration, which is water pulled from the soil by plant roots and released as vapor from the leaves. Together, these processes describe how moisture leaves the surface and enters the air.

The other options mix processes that don’t move water into the atmosphere. Condensation is vapor turning into liquid in the atmosphere, not a loss from land surfaces. Infiltration and percolation involve water seeping into and through the soil, not becoming atmospheric moisture. Runoff and infiltration involve surface flow and soil entry, again not direct transfer to the air.