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For example, the oceans make it possible for life to exist on earth because they create more moderate temperatures by absorbing large amounts of solar heat (Riley 3). Otherwise, it would become too hot for plants and animals to survive. Water also helps organisms to regulate their internal body temperatures (Pidwirny 1).
Water has an extremely high surface tension. Riley defines surface tension as being "the attractive force exerted by the molecules below the surface on those at the liquid-air interface" (6). This means that water is "adhesive and elastic, and tends to aggregate in drops rather than spread out over a surface as a thin film" (Pidwirny 1). The surface tension of water allows for the hydrogen bonding of water molecules, which gives water the ability to wet surfaces by adhering to it. It also lets water stick to structures, even though gravity is pulling it downwards. This is important to life because plants need to be able to transport water and nutrients from their roots. Animals also need to be able to transport nutrients through their bloodstream (Riley 6). The high surface tension of water makes this possible. It has an extremely high surface tension which allows it to adhere to surfaces. This supports life because it allows plants to transport water and dissolved nutrients through from their root systems up to their leaves (Pidwirny 1) and animals to transport nutrients through their blood vessels. It has a high specific heat, which helps to regulate the internal temperatures of organisms and the external temperatures of the environment. Finally, water is the only substance that can be found to exist in its liquid, solid and gaseous state on earth. This helps to redistribute heat energy, as well as to make processes such as photosynthesis possible. Without the unique properties of water, life would not be able to exist.
Works Cited
"Water." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Online. 2010. Web. 12 March 2010
Pidwirny, Michael. "Physical Properties of Water." Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. 2006. Web. 12 March 2010
Riley, Charles. The Unique and Unusual Properties of Water. n.d. Web. 12 March 2010
Works Cited
"Water." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Online. 2010. Web. 12 March 2010 <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water>
Pidwirny, Michael. "Physical Properties of Water." Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. 2006. Web. 12 March 2010 <http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8a.html>
Riley, Charles. The Unique and Unusual Properties of Water. n.d. Web. 12 March 2010 <http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:47VDamQIbpAJ:www.pdhonline.org/courses/c104/Unusual%2520Properties.pdf+unique+properties+of+water&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShDynrDQ3qKhaftPEsRpAOoKusMt_3ivM6O39D9AJE90Bzrs0a2cRG-H7z9bmF4lVKeChXkx3T1noRzcnhh8tHW45kYTeWQrJ8uYUsoFexB47aGrBZj0TqrMq4AXjyqmQEZALA4&sig=AHIEtbQaqVm94OHngAOIfQ5_birN03Au8w>
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