Why can water exist in the hot interiors of the giant planets?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The pressure inside the giant planets is so high that it keeps water in a liquid state, preventing it from becoming vapor. This is known as the "supercritical" state of water, where it is neither a liquid nor a gas but exists as a dense, high-pressure fluid.

Answer: B
 While this is one possible explanation for the presence of water in the giant planet interiors, it is not the most likely. Metallic hydrogen is found only in the cores of Jupiter and Saturn, and it is not clear if enough oxygen is present to react with it to create water.

Answer: C
 Some regions of the giant planet interiors may be cooler than others, allowing water to exist as a liquid. However, overall the temperatures and pressures are so extreme that this is not a sufficient explanation on its own.

Answer: D
 This is not a likely explanation for the presence of water in the giant planet interiors. While some moons may have water ice on their surfaces, it is unlikely that enough of it would be released via cryovolcanism and then absorbed by the planet to account for the large amounts of water observed in some cases.

Why Can Water Exist in the Hot Interiors of the Giant