Is the rate at which water evaporates more dependent on relative % humidity or dew point temperature? eli5

Question

Is the rate at which water evaporates more dependent on relative % humidity or dew point temperature? eli5

In: 1

Answer 1

Relative humidity.

As an example, take a dewpoint of 60. If the temperature is also 60, the air is saturated with water, and standing water won’t evaporate at all. (More properly, it’ll evaporate at the same rate it condenses out of the air, so there’s no *net* evaporation.) If the temperature is 90, it will evaporate, despite the dewpoint not having changed at all.