101 Fun Facts About Water For Kids: Here's Why Water Is Important!

Despite being one of the most important natural resources that exist on the planet, water is of the least concern for most people.

Although water covers nearly 70% of the surface of the earth, it is not readily available in all places around the globe. The amount of fresh water that can be used as drinking water is a very tiny percentage.

Water wastage is a crime that human beings commit daily around us. From cooking food to regulating the temperature of the earth’s surface, the number of things that we can do with water is uncountable.

Tap water in the United States is suitable for drinking as it passes through several checks in order to ensure that people do not fall sick of water-borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera.

There are many agencies that have world-class laboratories that check the water quality and see if it meets standards. The gallons of water that Americans use on a daily basis is much higher than Europeans.

So, it has to be seen that we do not waste water on a large scale as we do today.

If we are not careful, future generations will not have any water left to use for their survival and life on earth will wither away coming to a halt. Children must be taught from a young age the importance of water and how they can save it from being wasted.

If you enjoy reading this article on amazing water facts, do not miss out on some interesting articles on freshwater facts and how do cacti get water.

Ph Of Water Composition

The chemical composition of water is not as simple as we might know it to be. Water is a complex chemical solution containing organic matter and gases dissolved in it.

Water has a fairly simple chemical formula of H2O. In one molecule of water, two atoms of hydrogen are present alongside one atom of oxygen.

The concept of pure water is a complex topic.

In theory, this water should not have any impurities or other minerals. Water found in the natural environment, whether under the ground, above the surface or in the atmosphere; always has some dissolved gases and minerals due to its mingling with minerals in rocks, living matters or the atmosphere.

‘Pure’ water can only be found in a laboratory but when we say we have pure drinking water, it means the water has some minerals in it that are essential for the human body.

Pure water has a pH value of seven which means it is neither basic (more than seven) nor acidic (less than seven). The pH value determines the acidity of water and it is measured by the concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution.

The acidity is more if the pH is less and vice versa. The most basic or alkaline water has a pH value of 14.

The water that is collected from rainfall is slightly acidic. The carbon dioxide that is present in the atmosphere reacts with the water molecules to form carbonic acid.

The rainwater consists of these carbonic acid molecules that get broken down into bicarbonate and hydrogen ions.

Both of these ions get dissolved in rainwater. But it should be remembered that we do not use the term ‘acid rain’ to denote normal rainwater but it is used when the rainwater becomes highly acidic due to manmade emissions of sulfur oxides and nitrogen.

Types Of Water: Drinking, Freshwater, Sea Water

The type of water depends on its origin, usage and nature. There are various types of water that are available on the planet including freshwater and seawater.

The source of freshwater can either be the surface or under the ground. It generally has a tiny percentage of sodium chloride. Freshwater might be soft or hard that determines whether they are corrosive or not.

The smallest water bodies having freshwater are brooks. These flow into streams, which dump their water into rivers. The rivers flow into seas and oceans. The point at which the river meets the sea has brackish water which is a combination of salt water and fresh water.

Seawater is present in most of the large water bodies on earth such as the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It contains a high concentration of sodium chloride molecules that makes sea water salty.

If you have ever been to the beach and got drenched by seawater, chances are high that you have got some water in your mouth. The salinity in the water may be weakened when mixed with fresh water. The corrosive nature of seawater makes it unfit for drinking.

Two-thirds of the earth is covered by oceans that surround the continents. Seas are smaller than oceans and many seas flow into the oceans. The Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world that is surrounded by land on all sides. Although the Caspian Sea has saltwater in it, generally speaking, lakes consist of freshwater.

Drinking water is very vital for our life. Numerous health benefits can be reaped by a person who stays hydrated such as better brain function and increased energy levels.

But it should be understood that not all drinking water is the same. Some are better than others. The various types of drinking water can be categorized as tap water, mineral water, spring water, well water, distilled water, sparkling water, filtered water and rainwater.

Tap water can be found in all places in the house from the kitchen sink to the toilet. It is considered safe to drink since tap water is regularly checked for safety.

Yet you should know that tap water will always have some environmental pollutants and therefore can never be purely safe. The cause behind this is that the water bodies (rivers and oceans) from which tap water comes, are becoming contaminated a lot nowadays. The water might carry these contaminants including toxic chemicals like aluminum and pesticides.

The source of mineral water is a mineral spring in which an abundance of minerals like calcium, sulfur and magnesium, exist. The minerals in the water may be beneficial to the body but mineral water has a distinctive taste that many people might not like.

Springwater is said to be one of the purest forms of water in which water is bottled near a source such as a spring or a glacier. Even this type of water may have toxins in it.

Well water was popular in the olden days but becoming less common in current times. The water comes directly from the ground using a pulley system of rope and bucket. The health hazards associated with well water make it unfit to be used as drinking water but some people still use it.

Distilled water is produced by a complex process of boiling the water and collecting the steam, condensing it again into liquid form. This water contains no contaminants, but it also has no minerals or vitamins that we need.

Carbonated water is another name for sparkling water due to the presence of carbon dioxide in it. It is true that a number of people like the sensation offered by sparkling water but this once again lacks the necessary minerals.

Filtered or purified water is what we seem to drink regularly. It is normal tap water that has been filtered from harmful bacteria and metals like iron.

Rainwater is actually the purest form of water that is available as it falls directly from the sky. Rainwater harvesting systems are becoming common now due to the increase in contaminated water from other sources.

Properties Of Water

Water has some of the most unique properties among all elements in nature. It is a fascinating element that is available in three forms on the earth.

Water is often called the universal solvent as no other fluid dissolves more elements than it. The elements can be ionic or polar.

The fact that water is a good solvent is significant to all living beings because the solvency of water helps it to absorb valuable nutrients as water changes its form by the water cycle. It must be noted that nonpolar molecules such as oil are not attracted to water. And hence oil and water never mix together.

Water molecules are polar in nature. The hydrogen atoms have partial positive charges while the oxygen atom has a partial negative charge. The overall structure is bent in shape. This is due to oxygen being more electronegative, it attracts electrons more than hydrogen.

The heat of vaporization of water is very high. Human beings sweat as well as other animals. Sweat is a method in which the heat of vaporization is used for cooling off. When the water reaches its heat of vaporization, water changes to steam.

The main element of sweat is water and the excess body heat is absorbed by the evaporating water. The atmosphere absorbs the heat. This process is called evaporative cooling.

In liquid form, water is denser than in its solid form. When water freezes, its molecules come together into a crystalline structure in which the molecules are spaced farther than in liquid form.

This is why ice floats on water as it is less dense. Living organisms can survive under the icy surfaces in oceans and lakes due to this property.

The high surface tension of water makes it elastic and sticky. The water molecule has a strong cohesive force. Hydrogen bonds are formed with one another.

The adhesive property of water makes it stick to elements other than itself. This property is very important as it helps in the transport of fluid in many living things.

A prime example of this is the transportation of nutrients from the root to the top of any tree which should not be possible due to the force of gravity.

Another property of water is its high heat capacity. A lot of energy is taken to bring up the water temperature by one degree. Hence water regulates the earth’s temperature. This is the reason that the temperature of water in a lake stays almost the same during any time of the day, notwithstanding the changes in the atmospheric temperature.

Importance Of Water For Living Beings

The only substance that is found in three forms naturally on the earth is water.

The three forms are ice, liquid and vapor. The human body has about 66% of water. While our blood has 83% of water, the human brain is made up of 75% water.

The importance of water for a human being can be verified from the fact that we can survive only one week without water but we might live for a month without food. To lead a healthy life, a person has to drink two quarts of water regularly.

The food that we eat is the main source of water. This is why we are advised to eat tomatoes and cucumbers, items having a large quantity of water. Drinking water can also help to have good hair growth.

Not just the earth’s surface, but human body temperature is also dependent on water. A person having a fever is asked to drink in plenty of water to replace the water lost through evaporation.

Interesting Water Facts

The water cycle is a phenomenon by which the water on earth changes from water vapor to liquid water and then again vapor. This is the major source of water supply for the world's population.

About 1.7% of the world’s water supply cannot be used since it is frozen. Water has been on earth for more than 3.8 billion years.

If you could fit the world’s water into a four-liter jug, only one tablespoon of freshwater would be available to us. 

You know that the atmosphere of the earth has water vapor. If all of it fell at once, and evenly distributed on the earth’s surface, only an 1 in (2.54 cm) of water would cover it.

Mpemba effect is a phenomenon in which under some conditions, heated water freezes faster than cold water.

The soil on the planet Mars has liquid water in it. 1 cu. ft (28316.8 cu. cm) of this soil consists of 2 lq. pt (1 l) of water although its molecules cannot be accessed freely, but rather the molecules are attached to other minerals.

An interesting fact about groundwater is that it is available almost everywhere under the surface of the earth. As a result, potable groundwater is the major source of water supply for about50 % of the American population.

The amount of freshwater available on the earth is very little. And about 90% of it is present in the ice caps of Antarctica.

The drinking water systems of reverse osmosis can remove lead, fluoride, chlorine, arsenic and nitrates from the water. Tap water is much cheaper than bottled water and even safer.

Water regulates the amount of sweat we produce in our bodies. Among the thousands of substances we find around us, gallons of water are the only substance that is found naturally in the forms of vapor, ice and liquid.

As per the reports of the United Nations, about 66% of the world’s population is going to face scarcity of water by the year 2025.

A very little amount of the planet’s water is suitable for being used as fuel to cook food for the staggering population of 6.8 million people. It is only 0.007% of the total water.

Waste of water has to be stopped. A leaky tap from which water leaks at the speed of one drip in a second has the potential to waste greater than 3000 gal (11356.24 l) of water in one year.

The water quality of drinking water undergoes above 114,000 quality tests to check that the state and federal standards are met.

A NASA team has discovered water on the moon that is frozen. A prehistoric pocket of water going back 2.6 billion years ago has been discovered inside a mine that is located 2 mi (3.2 km) under the surface of the earth.

To prepare food for a day for a family consisting of four members, it takes about 6800 gal (25740.8 l) of water. A human being needs 12 gal (45.42 l) of water in one day to survive. The number includes everything that uses water such as food production and sanitation.

Thanksgiving is a special occasion that is celebrated in the USA with great splendor. Did you know that preparing dinner for eight people on Thanksgiving takes more than 42,000 gal (158987.29 l) of water?.

If all the people in the United States could use one less gallon of water to shower each day, more than 85 billion gal ( 386.41 billion l) of water can be saved every year.

A bathtub takes about 70 gal (265 l) of water to fill up while a pool needs 22,000 gal (83279 l) of water.

A dishwasher that is water-efficient uses very little water that is about 4 gal (15 l) of water per cycle.

A pint of beer needs 20 gal (75.7 l) of water to make.

The USA uses about 400 billion gal (1.81 trillion l) of water each day.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy!

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