Anna Nickerson

Period 5

AP Biology: Water Essay

There are many different properties, or characteristics of water which all come
together to make life possible on Earth. The first property is hydrogen bonding.
Hydrogen bonding is a type of chemically weak bond formed when a somewhat positive
hydrogen atom of a polar covalent bond in a molecule is then drawn to a slightly negative
atom of a polar covalent bond in a different molecule. Hydrogen bonding is a key
component to water because the hydrogen bonds collectively hold the substance of water
together because of the attraction of hydrogen and oxygen to each other. These hydrogen
bonds contribute to surface tension. Because there is greater surface tension in water than
other liquids, many organisms such as bugs and some birds are able to walk on lakes and
other bodies of water.
Another vital component to water is its heat of vaporization. Heat of vaporization
is the quantity of heat a liquid must absorb in order for one gram of it to be changed from
a state of liquid to a state of gas. Water has a high heat of vaporization, which is caused
by the hydrogen bonds breaking down in order for a change of state to take place. Waters
high heat of vaporization contributes to moderating Earths climate. Tropical oceans
absorb a large amount of heat from the sun, which is then consumed during the
evaporation of surface water. Then the humid air condenses and forms rain. This example
of waters high heat of vaporization accounts for the harshness of steam burns. If water
had lower heat of vaporization this would occur more often and would be harmful to
organisms skin.

Anna Nickerson
Period 5
A third and final property of water that makes life possible on earth is its high
specific heat. Specific heat is just the amount of heat that must be absorbed or lost for one
gram to change its temperature by only one degree Celsius. Water has very high specific
heat compared to other materials, which means that it changes temperature much more
slowly than other materials. If water had low specific heat, conditions on earth would be
extremely different and would not be sustainable for most living organisms, such as
organisms living in the ocean. Because the specific heat is high, the ocean can absorb the
heat from the sun while maintaining it throughout the cold nights.