Have you already refilled you water glass today? If not, you should do it right now because it’s crucial to our body that we drink enough water since it’s what keeps our organs functioning and our body alive. Did you know that a person can survive 2-3 months without food, but only about three days without water? If you want to know more interesting facts about water, this article is perfect for you.
Fact 1: Only 0.4% of the earth’s freshwater can be used by humans
We have all probably heard of the term “water planet” or “the blue planet”. It is sometimes used to describe our planet, implying that there is more water than land but then why do we only have access to such a small percentage? 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Since most of it is salt water and therefore undrinkable, we are only left with about 3% of freshwater. Most of this freshwater is inaccessible to humans because it is locked up in glaciers, snow ridges, polar ice caps or stored too far below the Earth’s surface. In recent times, more and more freshwater is also becoming highly polluted, resulting in only about 0.4% of the Earth’s water being usable and drinkable by its inhabitants.
Fact 2: Ice cream consists of the same amount of water as we do
Ice cream is an essential and big part of summer and when you eat it, you can taste its sweet and creamy aroma. It doesn’t taste watery at all which is weird since it actually consists of about 55% – 64% of water. That is crazy though because the human body is also made up of about 55% – 60% of water, so I guess we have more in common with ice cream than we thought.
Fact 3: Hot water freezes faster than cold water
This phenomenon is known as the so-called “Mpemba-Effect” and even though a great number of scientists have proposed different theories on this topic, no one really knows what the reason behind it is. So I guess we just have to wait for the explanation on why hot water freezes faster than cold water for a little while longer.
Fact 4: A 2.5 hours shower uses up as much water as the production of one chocolate bar
Since a 100 gram chocolate bar takes about 1700 liters of water to produce and you use around 11 liters of water while showering for one minute, you would have to shower for 2.5 hours straight in order to reach the same amount of water used in the production of one chocolate bar.
Fact 5: Water is sticky
It might sound absurd but it is true. There’s a really complex scientific explanation for it but to put it the easy way, the reason for water being sticky is because of its cohesive and adhesive properties. Cohesion means that water is attracted to water which you can see best in water drops where water clumps together and builds these tiny little droplets which then make up a big drop. Adhesion on the other hand describes the fact that water is attracted to other substances. It explains why water sticks to surfaces, f.e. sinks, clothes, skin, …
Now that you have heard five scientific and general facts about water and its usage, you have had enough time to finish your freshly refilled cup of water. If there is still some water left, I suggest you drink up to hydrate your body and keep in mind that we don’t even have one percent of the Earth’s water left for drinking, so don’t waste any!
Sources:
https://worldwaterreserve.com/percentage-of-drinkable-water-on-earth/ (Jeremiah Castelo, November 8th, 2022)
https://phys.org/news/2010-03-mpemba-effect-hot-faster-cold.html (Lin Edwards, November 8th, 2022)
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/adhesion-and-cohesion-water (Water Science School, November 8th, 2022)
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/water-you-water-and-human-body (Water Science School, November 8th, 2022)
http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2003/brown/thepropertiesoficecream.html (bris editors, November 8th, 2022)
https://www.tastingtable.com/855726/the-massive-amount-of-water-needed-to-make-a-chocolate-bar/ (John J Lee, November 8th, 2022)