The Importance of Water

About the lecture

In this module, we think about the importance of water in both social and physical processes, focusing on three key features of water and their impacts: (i) its thermal properties – water is densest when it is a liquid and requires a large amount of energy to change temperature, which is very significant for rock weathering and the climate system; (ii) its property of surface tension, which enables the important process of capillary action; (iii) its chemical properties – water is a highly effective solvent, meaning that it carries substances vital for life and drives oceanic carbon storage.

About the lecturer

Professor Joseph Holden is Chair of Physical Geography at the University of Leeds, where he also directs the research centre water@leeds. He researches a range of areas within physical geography, such as the carbon dynamics of peatlands and the impacts of land use on hydrological processes. His publications include Water Resources: An Integrated Approach (editor, 2013), Physical Geography: The Basics (2011), and An Introduction to Physical Geography and the Environment (editor, 2004).