World Water Day was marked today by the United Nations 25 years ago. The theme for this year is Nature of Water to find inspiration in nature to cure the problems of the ecosystem. Many take water for granted because it is part of our everyday lives but we forget the value of water. Here are a few fascinating facts about H2O to remind us of the beauty of nature.
1. A total of 97% of Earth’s water is salty, remaining 2.1% is frozen on the polar ice caps and less than 1% is available as fresh water.
2. Water molecules are sticky and like getting stuck to each other making up for the large surface tension of water. This keeps you alive, as the water can pull blood up the body’s narrow vessels against gravity.
3. The stickiness of water molecules is also a reason for keeping water a liquid at room temperature.
4. The second most common molecule in the universe is water, while the most common is hydrogen gas.
5. NASA scientists discovered the biggest known cloud of vapor. It was found 12 billion light years from Earth around a black hole. According to the scientists, this cloud contains 140 trillion times of water compared to the world’s oceans.
6. About 4.5 billion and 3.8 billion years ago in a period called Late Heavy Bombardment water arrived on Earth through comets and asteroids.
7. The Mpemba Effect shows how hot water freezes faster than cold water without a reason.
8. There is ice on the poles of the moon and even on the poles of planets Mercury and Mars. There are nearly 16 different phases of ice and all of them have different crystal structures.
9. A human body has 60% to 70% of water and changes at different times. A human fetus has 95% of water for the first few months. Once born, a baby body contains 77% of water.
10. To make one pint of beer, it requires 150 liters of water. Everywhere there is water, there is life.
Also Read: Water On Mars Is Actually Sand?
