Which statement best describes evaporative cooling in tropical architecture and its limitation?

• A. Evaporative cooling can reduce air temperature, but effectiveness drops in high humidity and added moisture can worsen comfort.
• B. Evaporative cooling is always effective regardless of humidity.
• C. Evaporative cooling costs more than conventional cooling and is not effective.
• D. Evaporative cooling lowers humidity rather than temperature.

Answer: (A)

Evaporative cooling works by water absorbing heat as it evaporates, which lowers the air temperature passing through or around wetted surfaces. In tropical climates, where humidity is high, the capacity for further evaporation—and thus cooling—diminishes, so the cooling effect becomes limited. The extra moisture added to the air can also feel uncomfortable, increasing stickiness and potentially promoting condensation or mold, which offsets comfort gains. So you can get noticeable cooling, but its effectiveness declines with high humidity and added moisture can worsen comfort. The other statements overlook the humidity dependency, claim universal effectiveness, or misstate what evaporative cooling does to humidity.