Alveoli try to reduce this property along their membrane, and it is the reason dew condenses into droplets rather than remains a puddle.
The Wilhelmy plate method is a way of monitoring this property over time. The behavior of Bénard cells is associated with a gradient in this property, which leads to transfer of mass across an interface due to a gradient in this, also called the Marangoni effect. Alveoli try to reduce this property along their membrane, and it is the reason dew condenses into droplets rather than remains a puddle. Also responsible for capillary action, for 10 points, identify this property which allows water striders to walk on water because the strength of hydrogen bonds allow for slight depressions at near the interface with air and which is generally reduced by surfactants.
The Wilhelmy plate method is a way of monitoring this property over time.
{surface tension}