Why Does Ice Float? Not So Complicated

TL;DR

This paper explains why ice floats by analyzing the segmental specific heat ratio of hydrogen bonds, revealing how molecular contractions and expansions affect water's density in different phases.

Contribution

It introduces a new explanation based on hydrogen bond heat ratios for the floating of ice and the density behavior of water in various phases.

Findings

Ice floats because H-O contracts less than O:H expands in the quasisolid phase.

The phase of water (vapor, liquid, ice) is determined by the segmental specific heat ratio of hydrogen bonds.

The density slope of water ice varies across different phases, influenced by hydrogen bond dynamics.

Abstract

The segmental specific heat ratio of the couple hydrogen bond defines not only the phase of Vapor, Liquid, Ice I and XI phase with a quasisolid phase that shows the negative thermal extensibility but uniquely the slope of density of water ice in different phases. Ice floats because H-O contracts less than O:H expands in the QS phase at cooling.