Water is the principal ingredient of Earth’s streams, lakes, and seas, as well as the fluids of most living species. It is a transparent, tasteless, odourless, and nearly colourless chemical substance. Even though it contains no calories or organic ingredients, it is essential for all known forms of life.
70.9 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, largely in seas and oceans. Water is found in small amounts as groundwater (1.7 percent), glaciers and ice caps in Antarctica and Greenland (1.7 percent), and vapor, clouds (ice and liquid water suspended in air), and precipitation (0.001 percent). Evaporation, transpiration (evapotranspiration), condensation, precipitation, and runoff are all part of the water cycle, and water eventually reaches the sea.
Water is far more fascinating than we realize. Consider that for a moment. It makes up a huge part of our bodies and our planet! In this article, let’s speak about water and its facts.
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10 Amazing Facts about Water
1. Water could be the key to finding life.
There aren’t many characteristics that are universal to all life on Earth, but one of them is the requirement for water. It can be found in all living creatures, whether they live at the bottom of the ocean or in the driest desert on the planet. On Earth, water made life possible. As a result, astrobiologists (scientists who look for life on other planets) believe that looking for water is our greatest option for finding life.
2. Almost all Earth’s water is in the oceans.
Our oceans contain 96.5 percent of the water on Earth and cover 71 percent of the planet’s surface. And around 0.001% of the atmosphere is floating above us at any given time. The entire world would receive around 1 inch of rain if all of that water fell as rain at the same time.
3. Most freshwater is in ice.
Only 3.5 percent of the water on Earth is fresh, meaning it contains minimal salts. Freshwater can be found in our lakes, rivers, and streams, but don’t forget about groundwater and glaciers. Ice and glaciers store almost 68 percent of the world’s freshwater. Another 30% is found in groundwater.
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4. The amount of salt in salt water varies.
There is around 1 cup of salt in a gallon of normal ocean water. It does, however, vary. For example, the Atlantic Ocean is saltier than the Pacific Ocean. The majority of the salt in the ocean is sodium chloride, the same salt we use on our food. In Antarctica, a little lake known as Don Juan Pond contains the world’s saltiest water.
5. One drop of water can hold a lot of life.
A single drop of ocean water can contain a lot of information. Millions (yes, millions!) of bacteria and viruses will most likely be present. Fish eggs, tiny crabs, plankton, and even little worms might be found in it.
6. It’s possible that some of the water came from comets.
Some water was present in the rocky elements that formed Earth. However, that is unlikely to account for all of the water we see today. Comets are largely made up of water ice. It’s plausible that comets delivered water on a regular basis to Earth. Although it would take a lot of comets to fill the ocean, comets could have played a significant role.
7. Ice floats on water
When atoms come closer together to form solids, they form something denser. This is why the majority of solids float in water. However, solid water, such as ice, has a lower density. This is a unique situation. When water freezes, the water molecules form rings. Because of the extra room, ice is less dense. It floats because of this. This is advantageous because ice on top of a body of water keeps the rest of the water liquid. Whole oceans may freeze solid if ice sank!
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8. The majority of our bodies are made up of water.
Water makes about 78 percent of a newborn baby’s body. Adults are made up of 55-60% water. Water has a role in almost all of our body’s functions. It’s a large component of the blood that transports nutrients to all of our cells. We utilize it to dispose of trash. It aids in the regulation of our body temperature. It protects our brain and spinal cord by acting as a shock absorber. We are extremely reliant on water.
9. Water defies gravity in plants.
Water has an intriguing quality about it. It’s a little “sticky.” It like to stay close to itself and other objects. This is why water condenses into spherical droplets. That isn’t true of all liquids. This “stickiness” aids in the transport of water from the roots to the leaves of plants. Water molecules cling on to each other and the tube walls as they travel up thin straws called xylem in plants. As water evaporates from the upper leaves, they are dragged upwards.
10. We witness water in three different states, which is unusual.
We come into contact with water in three different states: solid ice, liquid water, and gaseous water vapor. That’s a really unusual occurrence. While any substance can be solid, liquid, or gas, many only change states at very high temperatures. Because their melting and freezing points are at temperatures that would kill us, liquid silver and solid oxygen are unlikely to be seen.
Conclusion
To summarize, drinking water is critical to our physical well-being. Water is required for the survival of all species, not just humans. Because water comprises approximately 70% of our body weight, its value to our health is critical. Drinking water has four satisfying benefits for our bodies: it can speed up our metabolisms, make our skin better, help us lose weight, and keep us awake.
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