28. The Wonder Of Water III
Here comes a snowy blizzard of watery wonders:
Water is the marriage of two of the most combustible elements in the Universe, HYDROGEN and OXYGEN – H2O! The configuration of these building blocks (two hydrogens and one oxygen) produces a molecule with almost magical properties:
Water is called the UNIVERSAL SOLVENT. Think about it. Water circulates throughout the entire planet exosphere absorbing and dissolving contaminants; from the bottom of the ocean to the highest mountain spring, from the underground aquifers to the giant thunderclouds marching across the sky – IT IS ALL THE SAME WATER!
That’s why we need to care for it. There are no ‘isolated’ systems.
WATER IS THE FOUNDATION FOR ALL LIFE ON EARTH.
The human body is between 55% – 70% water. That makes us more fluid than solid!
Nearly everything we eat is between 50% – 90% water.
The THREE STATES OF WATER – solid (ice), fluid (liquid) and gas (vapor, steam) – allow water to be marvelously versatile. ICE is less dense than FLUID water. So, unlike most substances in their SOLID state, it floats! If it did not float, lakes and rivers and polar waters would freeze from bottom up. Aquatic life could not survive and we would have a very cold planet.
Pure water has NO COLOR, NO TASTE and NO SMELL.
It is SOLID at 0 degrees Celsius and VAPOR at 100 degrees Celsius.
The planet’s surface is at least 70% water. Only 3% of the planet’s water is fresh water. The other 97% is salty.
Water binds to many other substances like glass, cotton, plant tissues and soils. This property is called ADHESION. This is why water can climb up the roots, trunks and branches of plants and trees. This movement of water is called CAPILLARY ACTION.
Besides the property of adhesion, water also has a high degree of SURFACE TENSION which allows it to hold up substances (and objects) heavier and denser than itself. Surface tension is also what makes calm water look like glass.
What is a MERMAID’S MIRROR? Look at the surface of a calm body of water from just underneath, and you will see your reflection!
Water also has marvelous THERMAL PROPERTIES. The earth’s big bodies of water are giant heat reservoirs generating weather and affecting climate the whole wide world around.
Oh yes! There are other extraordinary properties to water as well:
Water is CONDUCTIVE to electricity. Does that mean water is conductive to the electro-magnetic atmospheres generated by human beings? In other words, can water be affected by our mental and emotional states? Can music affect the state of water?
Water is the best CLEANSING AGENT (Universal Solvent). So, the best way to refresh after a days work is to get into the shower and let the water take all that static tension down the drain!
OUR BODIES NEED WATER more than we realize. Drink plenty good clean water. But not out of plastic bottles please! Most plastics are petroleum based chemistry, and we are trying to move away from a petroleum driven world economy. Better for the earth. Better for human health. Better for the world’s water. Better. Better. Better!
So… a few watery facts for you to sprinkle on your student’s minds so that they too can begin to soak in the wonder of water!
~PAZ
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