Water striders and other small insects can rest on top of a pond without sinking. Which property of water best accounts for this?

Core Concept

Each water molecule can form up to four hydrogen bonds with its neighbors, and at the surface those bonds pull molecules sideways and downward, leaving no balancing pull above. The result is unusually high surface tension, which makes the interface behave like a thin elastic film able to support light bodies. Specific heat buffers temperature, solvent action concerns dissolved solutes, and freezing occurs only below zero degrees Celsius, none of which supports the insect's weight.