When you freeze water in a glass jar, it explodes (which kinda suggests that water, unlike other substances, expands under lower temperatures). And yet, the latest IPCC report says [p. 15] that half of all sea level rise is due to thermal expansion. How come?
Asked
Active
Viewed 112 times
1 Answers
1
Over most of the temperature range, water expands as it heats and shrinks as it cools. Water has an unusual property in the range 0-4 C where it expands as it cools, which is related to changes in the hydrogen bonds. Since 0 C is, of course, the freezing point for water, both of the statements in your question are true. If you put water in a jar in the freezer it will pass through this special range of temperatures where it expands as it cools and it may break your jar. In any other temperature range, however, including the ones relevant to sea level, water (like most things) expands with more heat.
Brick
- 5,247