WATER, WONDERFUL WATER: A WEBQUEST

Water is so much more than just water. In fact, it has many unusual properties that allow for life
on Earth. In order to begin learning about the importance of water in biology, you need to
complete the following WebQuest. Be sure to answer each question completely as you work
through the information.

1. Take the short true/false test on the following site: https://water.usgs.gov/edu/activity-tf-

properties.html
2.
a. Identify the one thing that you were most surprised by in the quiz. Explain why.

3. Water is considered essential for life. Without water, life as we know it would not exist.
Go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/origins/essential.html and answer the following
questions.
a. Why is liquid water important for life?

b. Water is considered the universal solvent. What does this mean?

c. Identify three properties of water are unique to the conditions found on Earth.

d. Pure water freezes at 0˚ C (32˚ F) and boils at 100˚ C (212˚ F), a large range for a
liquid, and has an extremely high heat capacity. Why are these properties of water
important?

e. Why is it important that solid water, ice, floats rather than sinks?

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 4. At any given time on Earth, water may be found in solid, liquid, or gas form. This is
known as the water cycle. Water has been cycling on Earth for billions of years, and all
life on Earth depends on this cycle. Click on the following link and read through the
information on the page https://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclesummary.html.
5. Once you have finished reading, answer the following questions.
a. The three primary processes in the water cycle are evaporation, condensation, and
precipitation. Explain each of these and its importance in the water cycle.
i. Evaporation:

ii. Condensation:

iii. Precipitation:

b. Transpiration contributes greatly to the water cycle. Explain briefly what

transpiration is and identify four factors that may affect the rate of transpiration.

c. Identify three ways in which water is stored.

d. What, specifically, is an aquifer? (You will need to click on the highlighted word
to learn more.)

e. Describe the distribution of water on Earth.

f. What is the total percent of fresh water found in lakes and streams?

g. Explain how surface water and freshwater storage are essential to life on Earth.

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