Final answer:
Ice floats in water because it is less dense than liquid water. This property is due to the unique alignment of water molecules in ice, creating open spaces and lower density. This has important implications for the survival of organisms in frozen bodies of water.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ice floats in liquid water because it is less dense than water. When water freezes, the molecules align in a specific way that creates open spaces between them. This causes the density of ice to be lower than that of liquid water. As a result, ice floats on water instead of sinking.
This unique property of water is due to hydrogen bonding. Hydrogen bonds cause water molecules to line up less efficiently in ice than in liquid water, resulting in a lower density for ice.
For example, if ice were denser than liquid water, lakes and oceans would freeze from the bottom up, which would be lethal for aquatic creatures. However, because ice floats on water, it forms a protective layer on the surface, insulating the water underneath and allowing fish and other organisms to survive in the lower levels.