Water has many peculiar properties: high specific heat capacity, strong ability to act as a solvent, and the ability of the solid phase of water (ice) to float on its liquid phase. Many of the peculiar properties of water are directly related to the structure of its molecule. The polar character of the water molecule permits the appearance of multiple hydrogen bonds that result in a very stable molecular structure.

This Reading elaborates on the concepts presented in the Activities: Water: The Sum of Its Parts; The Ocean; The Tides: A Balance of Forces; Waves; and The Ocean: A Global View from Project Earth Science: Physical Oceanography, Revised 2nd Edition. Although the Reading was written especially for this volume with the teacher in mind, students should also be encouraged to read them for both interest and additional study.