From the freezing temperature up to about 4°C (39°F) the water CONTRACTS. That is, it becomes MORE dense. I think I read that water is the ONLY known substance whose solid phase floats in its liquid phase. That's why the cubes float in your soda and bergs float in the ocean. And if weren't so, then life on Earth would not be possible ! Oceans and lakes would freeze from the bottom up, ONE TIME, and then never thaw again.