Final answer:
Cohesion, high specific heat, and high heat of vaporization are properties of water that explain why icebergs float in the ocean. Cohesion contributes to water's surface tension and capillary action. The high specific heat and vaporization of water provide temperature regulation in ecosystems and for bodily functions like sweating.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phenomenon of an iceberg floating in an ocean can be explained by several properties of water. One key aspect is cohesion, which is the attraction between water molecules due to hydrogen bonding. This property contributes to the surface tension of water and allows for capillary action, where water can move through narrow spaces against gravity, as seen when water travels from the roots to the leaves in plants.
Additionally, water's high specific heat and high heat of vaporization play critical roles in regulating temperatures in ecosystems and in bodily functions such as sweating. The high specific heat capacity of water means it can absorb or release large amounts of heat with little change in temperature, protecting organisms from rapid temperature fluctuations. Similarly, the high heat of vaporization allows living beings to efficiently release excess body heat by sweating, which cools the body as the sweat evaporates.
These properties are also why ice has a lower density than liquid water, allowing it to float and creating an insulating layer that protects aquatic life below from the much colder air above the surface during freezing temperatures.