Properties of Water See review questions and practice problems at the end of these notes. The presence of liquid water on Earth has had a tremendous impact on the planet's past. Water is a precious resource today, and it is imperative that we, as human beings, care for our water. To do this effectively, we must study water environments as well as water itself. The transformation of water from one phase to another, and the transport of water from one place to another, are major factors in the distribution of mass and energy at Earth's surface.
Water can destroy landforms but is also where life originated.
Be familiar with light and sound transmission in seawater. Understand the thermal properties of water including heat capacity and latent heat. Appreciate the dynamics of the hydrologic cycle. The side of the molecule with the hydrogen atoms has a small positive charge and the side with the oxygen atom a small negative charge. This accounts for many of its important properties.