Multiple Perspectives
Explore the following resources to find information that will help you answer the "Generate Ideas" questions.
Scientific Articles, News Stories, and Web Sites
- The water molecule is unique, present in three physical states at Earth’s surface. The physical and chemical properties of water that make it unique and essential for living organisms are described by Dr. Anthony Carpi on the Visionlearning Web site.
- The United States Geological Survey (USGS) on the Water Science School provides a brief review of water’s chemical and physical properties.
- The Secret Nature of Hydrogen Bonds, published in ScienceDaily, January 21, 1999, illustrates how current scientific research can help explain the unique properties of water in terms of quantum mechanics.
- An essay from Nova Online by Peter Tyson entitled Life’s Little Essential — Liquid Water, explores why liquid water is considered the essential ingredient for life as we know it.
- The American Museum of Natural History on water and life shows how water is essential to life as we know it, and gives examples of organisms that have adapted to living in extreme environments around water. Only in the driest parts of Chile’s Atacama Desert, where water has not fallen in decades, is life nearly absent.
- As part of their Watershed Academy Web, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Web site offers an Introduction to the Summary of Clean Water Act.
Graphics and Diagrams, Visualizations, Movies
Now that you are more knowledgeable about the special properties of water and why it is essential to life on Earth, it is time to share your ideas with the class.