Question

(01.04 mc)water at about 4°c (39°f) is more dense than water at 0°c (32°f). why would the living organisms in the lake die if the water at the freezing point was denser than the water at 4°c?

Answer 1

If water was denser at 0°C than at 4°C, lakes would freeze from the bottom up, removing the habitat that allows aquatic life to survive winter, disrupting the ecosystem.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the water at the freezing point was denser than water at 4°C, this would mean water would continue to sink as it cooled below 4°C. This would prevent the formation of an insulating ice layer on the surface, causing lakes to freeze from the bottom up. As a result, aquatic life would be in danger because the colder, denser water at the surface would freeze, reducing the habitable zone where fish and other organisms can survive. The currently observed phenomenon of water's maximum density at 4°C is crucial for the survival of aquatic organisms during winter because it allows the formation of ice on the lake's surface, preserving a habitat of unfrozen water beneath that is warm enough for life to continue.

Answer 2

Didn't you say that the water at 39 degrees is more dense than water at its freezing point? I think the reason organisms would die is because the water already starting to structure in a crystal form, when it starts to freeze into ice. This probably why it kills the organisms, is because the water ceases to allow the organism to function at those temperatures.