Therefore, it fills oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams, and is a major component of plant and animal eco-systems. Water has a very high heat capacity. Water heats and cools more slowly than many other substances. This property helps in the distribution of the sun's heat throughout the world in the form of warm ocean currents. It also protects living things from freezing or vaporizing during abrupt climate changes.
Water is less dense as a solid than as a liquid.
This allows ice to float on water. If bodies of water froze from the bottom up, aquatic life could not survive. Water is an excellent solvent. As a result of this property, nutrients are easily transported through plant and animal systems. This characteristic also makes water an excellent cleanser, because it dissolves and dilutes so many substances.