Drying of porous media is ubiquitous in various hydrologic and engineering processes ranging from evaporation from terrestrial surfaces to drying of food, building materials, pharmaceutical products, and preservation of historical buildings. Water evaporation from soil, arguably the porous medium ‘par excellence’, plays an important role in water management, land-atmosphere interactions, soil salinization, vegetation and crop production, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Therefore, it is important to have a clear understanding of the processes controlling water evaporation from porous media.
