When water is cooled from 4°C to 0°C, its density decreases.
When water cools from 4°C to 0°C, ice crystals begin to form because the water is approaching its freezing point. When water freezes, the water molecules form a lattice that increases the volume. As a result, the density decreases. This is why ice will float on top of water; ice has a lower density than the water.
