a magazine on “ Water is life ” ( Add your own articles, map
representations, map analysis, social sustainability facts etc… Creative
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The water molecule is one of the most versatile structures known. Comprising two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen (H2O), water has remarkable dissolving powers and is therefore a supreme solvent. Changing from solid to liquid to gas, water absorbs large amounts of energy in the form of heat, and releases equivalent amounts when going from gas to liquid to solid.
Water sculpts landscapes as rivers, waves and floods; it dissolves soft soluble rocks (such as limestone) and erodes hard insoluble rocks (such as granite); it obscures the sun as clouds; it carries chemicals dissolved in it; it transports suspended materials that will be deposited on flood plains, along coastal margins, and on deep ocean floors. Its capacity for heat exchange drives our weather systems!
In our bodies it is the most abundant molecule present. As a solvent it allows the transport of vital materials such as foodstuffs and oxygen into and within cells, and the export of waste products such as ammonia and carbon dioxide from cells.
Water is absolutely essential for all forms of life. We experience this every day when we become thirsty. Why do we need so much water? Simply because our bodies consist of approximately 75% water. If we do not drink enough water we may dehydrate. When you dehydrate it means that you have lost more water from the cells that build your muscles, than has been replaced. That is a very dangerous situation, because irreversible damage may be done to your body, and if you lose too much water you will die.
All forms of life on Earth have always been dependent on water for survival, and today water holds the key to survival in the future too. When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in 1969 he described Planet Earth as “a shining blue pearl spinning in space”. The blue colour is, in fact, the water that is present on Earth and the atmosphere.
Approximately 97% of all water is found in the sea which covers about 70% of the Earth’s surface. The seawater contains a large amount of salt in solution, which means that it cannot be used as it is. Only the remaining 3% is fresh water. Of this 3%, less than 1% is available for life on Earth, whilst the rest is in the form of ice at the poles, within the Earth’s crust as groundwater, and in the atmosphere as water vapour (see diagram on page 2). This means that very little fresh water is available on Earth in a form that can readily be used for human consumption.
Answer:
The water molecule is one of the most versatile structures known. Comprising two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen (H2O), water has remarkable dissolving powers and is therefore a supreme solvent. Changing from solid to liquid to gas, water absorbs large amounts of energy in the form of heat, and releases equivalent amounts when going from gas to liquid to solid.
Explanation: