Pressure and Diving
When SCUBA
diving, the body is subjected to pressure, that
pressure is equal to the sum of the atmospheric
pressure and the hydrostatic pressure (the pressure
from the surrounding water). When the gases in
a diver's body and equipment undergo the change in
the surrounding pressure, the volume of those gases
decreases. This relationship can be explained by
Boyle' Law.
Boyle's Law = Pressure is inversely
proportional to Volume
Basically, as the pressure on a gas increases, the
volume of that gas decreases, and as the pressure
on the gas decreases, the volume increases.
This is why divers have to ascend slowly, because
if they ascend too fast and the volume of the
gases in their body expands too quickly, it can
cause very serious health issues.
The hydrostatic pressure can also effect divers
when they are descending, the difference in
pressure between the surrounding water and the air
pockets in a divers sinuses and mask can cause
what's called a squeeze. To get rid of squeezes,
divers are taught to plug their nose and gently
blow to add more air into the sinuses and equalize
the pressure.
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