Chemical Engineering in Daily Life – Question 79: If the density of water were less than that of ice, would there still be any people on Earth?
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This post was last edited by yjqin1 on 2015-9-26 07:19. As the title suggests: If the density of water is less than that of ice, would there still be anyone on Earth?
Due to the reflective properties of ice and clouds, ice reflects up to 80% of sunlight, which helps prevent Earth’s temperature from rising too high. This is a mechanism for regulating Earth’s climate and maintaining stable temperatures. Without ice, Earth would absorb much more solar energy, leading to faster evaporation of water. Water vapor is a greenhouse gas; it emits sunlight when it forms clouds, thereby increasing temperatures, while clouds have a cooling effect. A new balance is then reached. At this point, the circulation of water in Earth’s atmosphere would certainly be faster than it is now, and a new equilibrium would be established. At that time, the average temperature of the Earth is likely to rise, and there might even be more diverse species than today; however, I still tend to think that the number of species will **decrease**.
When it freezes, it sinks to the bottom. Without the insulation provided by ice on the water’s surface, more ice forms on that surface; once it freezes again, it sinks as well. At the bottom of reservoirs and ponds, there are large pieces of ice. As the water level rises, freezing releases more heat, so it won’t be this cold in winter. In summer, reservoirs and ponds are cold, with only a small number of cold-water fish present; eating fish then becomes a luxury. It’s even cooler in summer
The analysis on the 2nd floor makes quite some sense; what else is there?
When it freezes, it sinks to the bottom; there are no fish at the river bottom, as the fish float on the surface.
There are no more aquatic plants at the bottom of the river; they’ve all grown up
We won’t be able to see the winter fishing at Chagan Lake anymore; the old fisherman will lose his job
I won’t tell the original poster that the water level will rise