Biology – Water | e-Consult

Water has a high specific heat capacity, meaning it requires a large amount of energy to raise its temperature by 1°C. This is due to the energy required to break the hydrogen bonds between water molecules. A significant amount of energy is needed to overcome these intermolecular forces and allow the water molecules to move more rapidly, thus increasing the temperature.

This high specific heat capacity is vital for living organisms. Water helps to moderate temperature fluctuations within organisms and their environments. For example, in aquatic organisms, the large volume of water helps to buffer temperature changes. In terrestrial organisms, water in blood and tissues absorbs heat, preventing rapid temperature increases during exercise or exposure to hot environments. This helps maintain a stable internal environment (homeostasis).

Water's latent heat of vaporisation is the energy required to change water from a liquid to a gas. This property is crucial for thermoregulation in organisms. Evaporation of water, such as sweating in mammals or transpiration in plants, requires energy (the latent heat of vaporisation). This energy is drawn from the organism, resulting in a cooling effect. Therefore, the evaporation of water helps to prevent overheating and maintain a stable internal temperature.