Containing 236 entries, the Encyclopedia of Water is an A-Z overview of the many important roles water has played in human society and the natural world over the centuries. Many of the topics covered deal with scientific and technical issues, such as the physical and chemical properties of water, steam, and ice, the uses to which water and steam are put, and the purification, transfer, and use of water by communities. The book also describes the role of water in the natural world, including the hydrologic cycle, the properties and distribution of ice masses, and the properties of oceans and rivers.