When you heat water its volume increases, when you cool it then it decreases.
But only by a miniscule amount, and of course if you cool it enough it expands again.
I remember reading that to increase temperature you can compress. Maybe that was only for gasses because liquids are already so dense.
Yes, you're thinking of gases (which are compressible).
What is indisputable though is that the boiling point of water does vary based on atmospheric pressure, it's only 100c at the pressure experienced at sea level on Earth. A higher pressure will result in the water remaining a liquid beyond 100c so it won't be steam.
Yup.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_pointThe boiling point of an element or a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid equals the environmental pressure surrounding the liquid............................................At that temperature, the vapor pressure of the liquid becomes sufficient to overcome atmospheric pressure and lift the liquid to form bubbles inside the bulk of the liquid.
No. That link only says that the water in the vents themselves is at up to 400C, not that anything lives right in there at those temperatures. Obviously the water just outside the vents is a fair bit cooler (although still hot).
Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West.