Properties of water

• Water has a high specific heat capacity which means water absorbs abundant heat without a vast change in temperature. This allows aquatic organisms to live in a stable environment. Organisms are better able to maintain their temperature as a high proportion of their cells are composed of water.
• Water has a high latent heat of vaporization. The cooling of a surface occurs when the liquid evaporates. When an animal sweats body heat is used to evaporate the water cooling the animal.
• Frozen water is less dense than liquid water, which allows ice to float on water. The surface ice acts as an insulator, preventing the whole body of water from freezing and allowing aquatic organisms to survive the winter.
• Water is a solvent. This is due to the polarity of water.
• Water molecules are cohesive, meaning they tend to stick to each other.
• Water molecules are adhesive. They tend to stick to other polar surfaces.
• Water is a reagent in photosynthesis.
• The ability of insects to walk on water is contributed to by the high surface tension of water.