This also traps just enough warmth to keep marine animals alive during the winter. The process of turning water into steam is a different story. Because it requires the breaking of water s hydrogen bonds, this process takes far more energy than it does to turn water into ice. The extra energy that is used in converting water into steam helps keep the overall temperature from getting too hot. In this manner water regulates the temperature of both animals when they sweat, and the earth through evaporation.
Water affects the earth s ecosystems in very important ways as well.
When water in the earth s saltwater bodies evaporates into the air. This water vapor then cools off, becomes liquid again, and then falls as rain or snow. The salt is left behind, and the resulting precipitation helps replenish the water in lakes, streams, rivers, and the groundwater supply. However, all of this water eventually flows down to the level of the oceans, and the cycle begins again. Because of this cyclical pattern, water is consided to be a renewable resource.