In the metric system specific gravity is the same as in the English system. Specific gravity is the heaviness of a substance compared to that of water, and it is expressed without units. The release of gas during eruption is particularly likely to be explosive if the magma is both viscous (as gas is released, so viscosity is. Viscosity is the ratio between the pressure exerted on the surface of a fluid, in the lateral or horizontal direction, to the change in velocity of the fluid as you move down in the fluid. Specific Gravity And Viscosity Of Liquids. A high volatile content decreases viscosity (like adding water to treacle), and is probably the main factor in enabling some highly viscous (but also volatile-rich) melts to reach the surface at all. Values for viscosity of water taken from Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (primary source)." Water fluxes were measured at 15-min intervals at temperatures indicated in the table and all fluxes were normalized to control values at 21☌. The repulsive forces are shielded by a double layer of electrolytes when salt is. As the salinity increases, the distance between the polymer chain and the molecules decreases. After 15 min bladders were fixed with glutaraldehyde, filled with distilled water, and suspended in a hormone-free solution of 232 mM mannitol and 1 mM CaCl2. Polymer viscosity is affected by water salinity and divalent ions such as calcium (Ca 2+) and magnesium (Mg 2+ ), which decrease the viscosity of the polymer solution. Matched hemibladders from 5 toads were filled with Ringer fluid and suspended in Ringer fluid containing 20 mU/ml vasopressin at 21☌. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of thickness. Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (56th edition), Cleveland, OH: CRC Press, 1976, p. The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation at a given rate. Activation energy for water transport in toad bladder.