Introduction

Water is a contradiction, a riddle. Why? Consider the Chinese proverb that “water can both float and sink a boat.” Water’s presence everywhere feeds these contradictions. Lewis (1996) pointed out that “water is the key ingredient of mother’s milk and snake venom, honey and tears” (p. 90). Leonardo da Vinci gave us insight into more of water’s apparent contradictions:

Water is sometimes sharp and sometimes strong, sometimes acid and sometimes bitter.