03-water text.pptVIP

Chapter 3 Water and the Fitness of the Environment Importance of water Overview: The Molecule That Supports All of Life Water is the biological medium here on Earth All living organisms require water more than any other substance Water Facts Three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is submerged in water The abundance of water is the main reason the Earth is habitable Water Facts The polarity of water molecules results in hydrogen bonding The water molecule is a polar molecule Water’s Polarity The polarity of water molecules Allows them to form hydrogen bonds with each other Contributes to the various properties water exhibits Properties of water Six emergent properties of water contribute to Earth’s fitness for life Cohesion/Adhesion Surface tension Temperature Moderation High specific heat Evaporative cooling Universal solvent Cohesion Water molecules exhibit cohesion Cohesion Is the bonding of a high percentage of the molecules to neighboring water molecules Is due to hydrogen bonding Like molecules bonding to each other (water attracting other water molecules) Cohesion Cohesion Helps pull water up through the microscopic vessels of plants (capillarity) Surface Tension Surface tension Is a measure of how hard it is to break the surface of a liquid Is related to cohesion Moderation of Temperature Water moderates air temperature By absorbing heat from air that is warmer and releasing the stored heat to air that is cooler Heat and Temperature Kinetic energy Is the energy of motion Heat Is a measure of the total amount of kinetic energy due to molecular motion Temperature Measures the intensity of heat Water’s High Specific Heat The specific heat of a substance Is the amount of heat that must be absorbed or lost for 1 gram of that substance to change its temperature by 1oC Specific Heat Water has a high specific heat which allows it to minimize temperature fluctuations to within limits that permit life Heat is absorbed when hydrogen bonds break Heat is released whe