I understand that the deeper you dive into the ocean the more pressure you will face. I also know it’s a gradual change in pressure. But how is that pressure created?
In: 5
That pressure is just the weight of all the water that’s now above you, pushing down on you due to the Earth’s gravity.
We are adapted to air pressure such that we don’t feel it in our day-to-day. We become aware of it when it changes though — Denver, Colorado is about a mile above sea level. Because it’s so high up, there there’s less atmosphere above you, pushing down on you. That translates to Denver only having about 85% the air pressure as at sea level, and people who travel there sometimes have to take time to acclimate to the “thin” air. Going deep underwater is the opposite — in addition to the weight of the atmosphere above you, you are also adding the weight of water.
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