Water, in its myriad forms — from oceans and lakes to rivers and waterfalls, or clouds and rain to snow and ice — is my favorite photographic subject in creation. Yet, despite (or perhaps because of) its beauty, it’s often easy to take for granted and not appreciate its true wonder. Consider then these observations from The Elements section of my book, The Art of God.
Covering more than seventy percent of the earth’s surface, water is the most basic and vital element in nature. Although it is so common that we rarely think about it, there is no substance in creation with more amazing or important properties. In fact, without it there would be no life on earth, for every living thing is largely made of water and requires its unique properties to function.
One of these vital qualities is its extraordinary heat capacity, or ability to absorb great amounts of heat without significantly increasing its own temperature. To illustrate this, if the same weight of water and iron are cooled to absolute zero (minus 460º Fahrenheit) – so that no heat remains – and equal energy is then applied to both substances, when the iron begins to melt at 2,370 degrees, the water will only have reached 32 degrees. As a result, the oceans absorb and release heat from the sun more slowly than the land does, and onshore breezes bring warmth to the land in winter and coolness in the summer.
Another fascinating property of water is its expansion in cooling, which makes it less dense in its frozen state than in its liquid form. This unique characteristic allows ice to float, which is vitally important to all living things. For if ice sank to the bottom of lakes, rivers, and seas, it would gradually accumulate and lower the water temperature to a point that it could no longer sustain life. The earth would eventually freeze, and all life would cease.