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Water is a very important part of our daily lives. But even though we use it everyday there’s still a lot we don’t know about it.
Get to know H2O
Where’s the water?
Water covers more than 70% of the earth’s surface; there is much more water than there is on land.
There are two kinds of water: salt water and fresh water. Salt water contains great amounts of salt, whereas fresh water has a dissolved salt concentration of less than 1%. Only freshwater can be used as drinking water.
Nearly 97% of the world's water is in the oceans. Another 2% is locked in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves just 1% for all of humanity's needs.
Over 90% of the world’s supply of fresh water is located in Antarctica.
Water is filtered and recycled constantly — outside by the water cycle and in your body by your kidneys.
What makes water… water!
Water is the only substance on earth that is naturally found in 3 forms — solid, liquid and gas!
Water boils at 100ºC and freezes at 0ºC.
Known as the universal solvent, it can dissolve just about anything. Take the Grand Canyon — it was carved by the Colorado River over millions of years.
Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals and nutrients with it.
Water is the only substance that actually gets bigger as it gets colder. As water freezes and turns into ice it increases in volume.
Water regulates the earth’s temperature. It also helps regulate the temperature of the human body!
Frozen water is 9% lighter than water, which is why ice floats on water.
A long time ago…
Ancient Egyptians treated water by siphoning it out of the top of huge jars after allowing the muddy water from the Nile River to settle.
The Romans were famous for their aqueducts which they built to carry the purer waters of springs and rivers into the city of Rome, sometimes from as far as 100 km away.
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, directed people in Greece to boil and strain water before drinking it.
Water and you
The average person uses 2 gallons of water when brushing his/her teeth.
Without enough water, you can die from dehydration, and with too much, you can die from water intoxication (water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance in the brain).
60% of the human body is water
75% of the human brain is water.
At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 per cent of an infant’s body weight.
Human blood is 83% water.
Water surprise!
You can survive for about 1 month without food but only about 7 days without water.
Earth’s water is part of a closed system. Though it changes form almost constantly from liquid to gas, to solid and back, it never disappears. So the water you drink today existed when dinosaurs roamed the earth!
The chemical symbol for water is H2O.
A birch tree gives off 70 gallons of water per day through evaporation.
1 BILLION: That's how many people worldwide lack safe drinking water.
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