I understand that gases compress under pressure, unlike liquids and solids. So, when you are at deep levels, the gases in your lungs are compressed by the pressure, and the lungs become smaller. But how exactly does the water pressure “reach” the lungs, given that there is so much in between, such as ribs, tissues, skin, etc.? So, the gases inside your lungs are compressed because the lungs shrink. What makes the lungs shrink?
Do I understand it correctly that the water pressure pushes on your suit, which pushes on your skin, which pushes on your bones and all the way through? Does this mean that you become physically smaller deep underwater?
In: 10
The compression of everything AROUND your lungs then compresses your lungs and the air inside. Your body is capable of handling so much pressure exerted equally around it. Pressure exerted in a non equal fashion will eventually lead to damage to where the pressure is being exerted.
The ribs, tissues, skin, etc are more or less flexible, you breathe in by contracting the diaphragm and out by relaxing it. Just look to what degree all move when you breathe deeply [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ch__AWINhQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ch__AWINhQ) and then consider what happens when the high force that water at pressure can apply to your body
First, think about how your body and lungs work at sea level above water. You are surrounded by air at 1 atmosphere of pressure, pressing on every part of your body. This pressure doesn’t compress your lungs because when you breathe, you are letting air at 1 atmosphere of pressure enter your lungs, so the pressure inside your lungs and the pressure from outside your body pushing in on your chest cavity are balanced. You don’t even notice it.
Now jump in the water and swim down. The tissue and organs around your lungs are largely incompressible, given that they are mostly water (bone is the exception, but it’s quite strong). The pressure around your body exerts force on your tissue, which exerts pressure on your lungs, which causes the gas inside to compress, reducing their volume (assuming no additional air is added to them).
Source: I am a scuba diver
liquids and solids compress under pressure, just generally it doesn’t add sufficient inaccuracy to be worth considering in calculations. It becomes very important when high pressures make substances act in different ways, eg exotic forms of ice that are denser than ice I, diamond formation.
Your lungs sit behind a wall of muscle, bone and tissue all of which have plenty of give in them which allows the water pressure outside them to squish your lungs smaller. Once they are compressed as far as they can go elastically the pressure will build until it can collapse your ribcage or push your abdominal organs into your chest in order to collapse your lungs further.
Yes, you do get physically smaller under deep water just like you would if an elephant sat on your chest.
Suit, skin, ribs… they’re all incompressible* and yet they are flexible. So the force is transfered through them onto the easily compressible stuff the other side – the air in your lungs. The greater the difference in pressure, the greater the force.
If your suit wasn’t flexible and was more like say… the hull of a submarine… the force would be stopped on the outside, leaving the stuff inside at the same pressure.
The density of the air inside your lungs would change based on the pressure it’s under. But if you’re hooked up to a scuba system then it should cater for that by delivering you higher pressure air. That way there isn’t much of a pressure differential vs the surrounding water trying to collapse your chest and chest can breathe normally.
Imagine your ribs as you holding a balloon with your hands. Now imagine Hafthor covers your hands with his and squeezes inwards.
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