Question

what properties of water would be most important in protecting a fish in a shallow pond on a hot summer day

Answer 1

I suppose the dangers are running out of oxygen and overheating. Firstly, water has dissolved oxygen in, especially after water has been over a weir, waterfall or riffle bed. Perhaps this is because of water being polar and a good solvent. Secondly, water has a high specific heat capacity for a molecule of it's size - again because it's polar and the molecules stick together. So the heat of the sun doesn't cause the water to get too hot and the fish won't get gently cooked in the water. Hope this helps,

Answer 2

ebaxter is right, if i had to pick a property of water that would protect the fish i would say its high specific heat