Explain how the unique properties of water allow it to support life in frozen lakes and ponds during our Canadian winters

Water has several unique properties that allow it to support life in frozen lakes and ponds during Canadian winters.

1. Anomalous Expansion: Unlike most substances, water expands as it freezes. This causes ice to be less dense than liquid water, allowing it to float on the surface of lakes and ponds. This creates an insulating layer that prevents the entire body of water from freezing, allowing aquatic life to survive beneath the ice.

2. High Specific Heat Capacity: Water has a high specific heat capacity, meaning it can absorb a lot of heat before it starts to get hot. This property helps to moderate the temperature of the water beneath the ice, preventing it from becoming too cold for aquatic life.

3. High Heat of Fusion: The heat of fusion is the amount of energy required to change a substance from a solid to a liquid without changing its temperature. Water has a high heat of fusion, meaning it takes a lot of energy to melt ice back into water. This helps to slow down the freezing process, giving aquatic life more time to adapt to the changing conditions.

4. Transparency to Light: Ice and snow are transparent to light, allowing sunlight to penetrate into the water beneath. This light is essential for photosynthesis, which is carried out by aquatic plants and algae. These organisms produce oxygen, which is necessary for the survival of aquatic animals.

5. Solvent Properties: Water is known as the "universal solvent" because it can dissolve more substances than any other liquid. This allows it to carry nutrients and minerals throughout the water, supporting the life that exists within it.

These properties of water work together to create a stable environment in which aquatic life can survive, even in the harsh conditions of a Canadian winter.