March 22nd is World Water Day, a day to raise awareness about the importance of this limited resource, so essential to all living beings and our planet. Did you know that approximately 65% of our bodies are water? Today, we’re going to share 5 surprising facts about water. Discover them below!
Does water conduct electricity?
Did you know that water, in its purest form, doesn’t conduct electricity? Distilled or purified water, which is free of impurities and minerals, doesn’t allow electricity to flow through it. But here’s the interesting part: The water we encounter in everyday life, like tap water, is an excellent conductor of electricity!
This is because the water we use at home contains dissolved salts and minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, and sodium, which give it the ability to conduct electricity. These elements allow electrons to flow through the water, making it a much more efficient conductor than pure water.
When an electric current comes into contact with tap water, the ions present in it allow the electricity to spread rapidly. This phenomenon is what makes water dangerous in certain circumstances. Be very careful and never let electrical devices get wet or fall into the water!
Can you melt metal with water?
Yes! Water can be so hot that it can even melt metals. Although we normally associate water with something refreshing and relaxing, when it reaches extremely high temperatures, it can become a destructive force.
At temperatures above 300°C, water begins to acquire such intense energy that, upon contact with certain metals, they can melt. At extreme temperatures, it can destroy even solid materials like copper or aluminum. Incredible!
Imagine being near a hot spring in an active volcano. When water is heated by geothermal activity, it can reach such high temperatures that it turns into a liquid capable of shattering rock and melting metals.
Only 3% of the Earth’s water is fresh.
Water is everywhere! In fact, it covers approximately 70% of our planet. From vast oceans to small rivers and lakes, water is essential for life and is present in every corner of the Earth. However, not all of that water is drinkable.
According to the United Nations, 97% of the Earth’s water is found in the oceans, which occupy three-quarters of the Earth’s surface. Only the remaining 3% of the Earth’s water is fresh, and of that small fraction, most is trapped in glaciers and ice caps, or buried in the ground as groundwater. This leaves only a small portion available in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs for human consumption. It’s as if we had a glass of fresh water and an entire ocean of salt water!
The scarcity of drinking water is a reminder of the importance of caring for our water resources and the need to find sustainable solutions to manage freshwater efficiently. Every drop counts, and it’s very important that we all save as much water as possible, for example, by turning off the tap while we soap our hands or brush our teeth, avoiding the bathtub and choosing the shower, or reusing cooking water.
Water regulates our climate
The oceans play a crucial role in maintaining Earth’s temperature. Not only are they home to millions of species, but they also act as a thermal regulator for the entire planet.
Seawater has an amazing capacity to store heat. When the sun’s rays warm the ocean surface, the water absorbs this heat and stores it for long periods. In this way, the oceans act as a huge natural thermostat for the global climate.
But how does all this work? When winter arrives and temperatures drop, the oceans slowly release the heat they have accumulated, helping to keep temperatures on land more stable and mild. On the other hand, in the summer, the oceans absorb the extra heat, preventing the planet from overheating.
This heat storage capacity is crucial for avoiding extreme fluctuations in the climate. If the oceans couldn’t absorb and release heat, temperatures on Earth would be much more extreme, making life on the planet much more difficult to sustain. In addition, seawater also helps distribute heat around the world through ocean currents, such as the famous Gulf Stream. These currents act as a heat transport system, carrying warm water from tropical areas to cooler regions and vice versa, thus balancing the climate in different parts of the world.
Despite its changes of state it is still H2O
As you know, water can be in solid form (ice), liquid (water), and gas (vapor). It can adapt to its environment and change states depending on temperature and pressure. When water freezes, it turns into ice and can be as cold as the glaciers of Antarctica. When it warms up, it turns into vapor and rises into the sky, forming clouds, or like when we see steam rising from a cup of tea. And, of course, the water we drink every day is the liquid state we know so well.
What seems like magic is that, despite these changes, water remains H2O, a consistent chemical compound. It’s as if water has three disguises for different situations!
This phenomenon has everything to do with temperature. If the temperature rises too high, the water molecules move faster and separate, changing from liquid to gas. If it drops too low, the molecules clump together and the water becomes a solid.
This process of changing the state of matter is called a phase transition, and it is fundamental to many natural processes. Without water capable of transitioning between these states, fresh water would be a waste of time. Every drop counts, and it’s very important that we all save as much water as possible, for example, by turning off the tap while we soap our hands or brush our teeth, avoiding bathtubs and choosing the shower, or reusing cooking water.
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