The dry air of the desert has a distinct feel. At high altitudes the pressure is lower and water boils at a lower temperature. Solids and liquids are much more dense than gases. In most cases a substance in the liquid state is slightly less dense than the solid state. Water is an exception.
Ice floats on water because it is lighter than the liquid water.
Because of this a lake can freeze over while the fish are still swimming around under the ice. Polar bears can walk about on the polar ice and catch seals that have to come up for air from the water. The world would be very different if ice were heavier than water. Solids and liquids are more obviously effected by gravity than are gases. In a glass, water assumes the lowest position it can under the influence of gravity.