What if ice doesnt float

It stays on the top and ice slowly gets thicker, freezing our lakes and ponds from the top down. Michigan lakes and ponds are home to a variety of plants and animals. Ice helps protect most aquatic plants and animals throughout the winter months. As ice melts in spring, it absorbs heat from the environment to slowly change its state back to liquid.

Because it takes a lot of energy to change the state of water, this gradual process helps prevent a sudden increase in temperature that could be harmful to life.

Ice also provides Michigan residents with an opportunity to experience our lakes from a different perspectives while ice fishing, skating or just walking. Michigan State University Extension encourages the use of lakes during winter for recreational enjoyment. Always use caution when travelling on ice to be sure it is safe. You can help youth explore their world by helping them discover answers to questions. For more ways to share science with youth in your life, please explore the MSU Extension Science and Technology website.

For more information about 4-H learning opportunities and other 4-H programs, contact your local MSU Extension office. This article was published by Michigan State University Extension.

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Traveling Exhibits. Community Programs. Power of Children Awards. Visiting Artist Application. Corporate Donations. Planned Gifts. Renew your Donor Membership. Current Members. Renew Your Membership. Because water is a special case. The molecules in water are affected by a phenomenon known as hydrogen bonding.

A water molecule is a V-shaped molecule made up of one oxygen atom in the centre with a hydrogen atom on each side. The molecule is held together by covalent bonds, which is when two atoms share a pair of electrons.

However, the oxygen atom pulls on these negatively-charged electrons much more strongly than the hydrogen atoms can.

As a result, the electrons tend to hover closer to the oxygen atom than either of the hydrogen atoms. This leaves the molecule as a whole with a slight negative charge around the oxygen end, and a slight positive charge around the hydrogen end.

Since opposites attract, the slight charges on different molecules interact with each other. In liquid form, as the molecules move around, hydrogen bonds form and break over and over, and the molecules can slip past each other. However, as the water cools down, it starts to form into its crystal lattice structure. While the molecules want to form hydrogen bonds between the slight positive and negative charges, the same-charges repel each other, stopping the molecules from getting too close.

The result is a structure that is slightly less dense than liquid water. If you cool it further, it begins to expand again, and once it has completely solidified into ice, it has increased in volume by about 9 per cent. The bulk modulus of ice is around 8.

This means that if you seal a full container of water and freeze it, the pressure on the sides of the container will be approximately megapascals or , pounds per square inch.