Which most likely has greater thermal energy ice or water vapor?

Answer 1

Whenever a water molecule leaves a surface, it is said to have evaporated. Each individual water molecule which transitions between a more associated (liquid) and a less associated (vapor/gas) state does so through the absorption or release of kinetic energy. The aggregate measurement of this kinetic energy transfer is defined as thermal energy and occurs only when there is differential in the temperature of the water molecules. Liquid water that becomes water vapor takes a parcel of heat

Heat

In physics and thermodynamics, heat is any transfer of energy from one body or thermodynamic system to another due to a difference in temperature....
with it, in a process called evaporative cooling. The amount of water vapor in the air determines how fast each molecule will return back to the surface. When a net evaporation occurs, the body of water will under go a net cooling directly related to the loss of water.

In the US, the National Weather Service measures the actual rate of evaporation from a standardized "pan" open water surface outdoors, at various locations nationwide. Others do likewise around the world. The US data is collected and compiled into an annual evaporation map. DisplayLink("http://www.grow.Arizona.edu/Grow--GrowResources.php?ResourceId=208", "(*)") (*) The measurements range from under 30 to over 120 inches per year. Formulas for calculating the rate of evaporation from a water surface such as a swimming pool of can be found here DisplayLink("http://www.thermexcel.com/english/program/pool.htm", "(*)") (*) and here DisplayLink("http://www.rlmartin.com/rspec/whatis/equations.htm", "(*)") (*)

Evaporative cooling is restricted by atmospheric conditions

Standard conditions for temperature and pressure

In physical sciences, standard conditions for temperature and pressure are standard sets of conditions for experimental measurements, to allow comparisons to be made between different sets of data....
. Humidity

Humidity

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. In daily language the term "humidity" is normally taken to mean relative humidity. Relative humidity is defined as the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor in a Air parcel of air to the saturated vapor pressure of water vapor at a prescribed temperature....
is the amount of water vapor in the air. The vapor content of air is measured with devices known as hygrometer

Hygrometer

Hygrometers are instruments used for measuring relative humidity. A simple form of a hygrometer is specifically known as a psychrometer and consists of two thermometers, one of which includes a dry bulb and the other of which includes a bulb that is kept wet to measure wet-bulb temperature....
s. The measurements are usually expressed as specific humidity or percent relative humidity

Relative humidity

Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor that exists in a gaseous mixture of air and water....
. The temperatures of the atmosphere and the water surface determine the equilibrium vapor pressure; 100% relative humidity occurs when the partial pressure of water vapor is equal to the equilibrium vapor pressure. This condition is often referred to as complete saturation. Humidity ranges from 0 gram per cubic metre in dry air to 30 grams per cubic metre (0.03 ounce per cubic foot) when the vapor is saturated at 30 °C. DisplayLink("http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-53259/climate#292984.hook", "(*)") (*) (See also DisplayLink("http://www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/misc/klima.htm", "Absolute Humidity table") Absolute Humidity table)

Another form of evaporation is sublimation, by which water molecules become gaseous directly from ice without first becoming liquid water. Sublimation accounts for the slow mid-winter disappearance of ice and snow at temperatures too low to cause melting.