Question

What are the effects of anomalous water expansion?

Answer 1

Hint:Water doesn’t obey the law of expansion and contraction within the range of \[{0^ \circ }\]to ${4^ \circ }$C temperature and shows anomalous behavior. Due to this anomaly, water shows some special properties.

Explanation:
Above ${4^ \circ }$C temperature water expands as its temperature is increased. But water doesn’t follow this trend below ${4^ \circ }$C. Instead of contracting water starts expanding as temperature is further decreased below ${4^ \circ }$C up to \[{0^ \circ }\]C. This anomalous behavior is caused due to the hydrogen bond present in water. Due to this nature water becomes most dense at ${4^ \circ }$C. In winter near polar regions or in high altitudes when atmospheric temperature starts decreasing the temperature of water in various water bodies also decreases. Now, the upper portion of water of lakes and sea comes in contact with the cold atmosphere first and reaches ${4^ \circ }$C soon. Since, ${4^ \circ }$C water is most dense so this water goes at the bottom of the lake or sea. After some time span the whole waterbody temperature becomes ${4^ \circ }$C. Then upper surface temperature further decreases and finally freezes. As water is a bad conductor of heat so the temperature of water underneath remains at ${4^ \circ }$C and it doesn’t freeze even if the temperature of the upper surface is far below freezing point. So, aquatic life can survive inside water bodies even when the ambient temperature is below freezing point.

Also in the rainy season water enters through the cracks of the rocks and in winter when water temperature decreases it expands and eventually the rock breaks.

Note: This anomalous behavior is exclusively seen in water only. It's not observed in any other common liquid. At lower temperature when water molecules come closer than hydrogen bonds start to build and due to the structure of water it creates more gap between the water molecules and makes the density lesser below ${4^ \circ }$C.