![]() ![]() Want to try your hand at pressure compaction at home? You can replicate the pressures of the deep ocean on EPF using a pump or syringe. Simulate the Pressure Conditions of the Deep Ocean Meanwhile, fish that travel to the deep ocean have specially-adapted bodies that are filled mostly with incompressible fluids instead of air, so that as they descend, their bodies retain their shape and size. While compressing foam cups is fun for sea explorers, for fish and ROVs, compressibility is something to be avoided! The ROVs aboard the E/V Nautilus emerge from the depths the same size they went down because they are specially-designed using materials like aluminum, PVC, steel, and glass that are much, much less compressible than foam. Photos by Aaron Smith, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe Rural Health School Bendigo, Australia. At a depth of 2,000m, the pressure on a foam cup is equivalent to the weight of about 500 fully-grown giant Galápagos tortoises pressing down on it, so they stand no chance! Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of pieces of EPF foam, before (left) and after (right) compression in the deep sea. At the bottom of the ocean, the pressure from the water is so great in all directions that the polystyrene beads are compressed uniformly, and the foam cups shrink to a fraction of their original size. When a foam cup descends into the ocean attached to an ROV, the air that fills its tiny polystyrene bubbles is compressed, and the polystyrene bubbles are crushed. Like most foam, EPF is made up of tiny polystyrene bubbles stuck together. Zychįoam cups are made from expanded polystyrene foam (EPF). Instead of returning to the surface the same size they went down, the cups are dramatically smaller, but weigh nearly the same amount. After the exploratory dive is complete, the ROV is brought back up to the deck of the ship, and the cups are removed. Aboard the E/V Nautilus, members of the Corps of Exploration stuff each foam cup with paper towels to help them keep their shape, then put the cups in a mesh bag tied to a milk crate attached to the ROV Argus that plunges into the ocean. How extreme? An ROV diving to a depth of 2,000m experiences over 1,270kg (2,800lbs) of force exerted on each square inch of its surface!Ī favorite pastime aboard exploration and research vessels like the exploration vessel (E/V) Nautilus is decorating foam cups to place atop ROVs during exploratory dives into the deep ocean (the authors of this educational resource traveled aboard the E/V Nautilus in 2015 as Science Communication Fellows). In order to descend to greater ocean depths, scientists and explorers must use specially designed equipment like remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and manned submersibles that can operate under extreme pressures. In fact, for every 10 meters traveled deeper into the ocean, there are an additional 6.47kg (14.27lbs) of pressure on each square inch of surface. With every foot an object descends into the ocean, more water is pushing down and against it, and more pressure is exerted upon that object. At any depth in the ocean, the weight of the water above pushes on any object below it. In order to take full advantage of these opportunities for discovery, scientists and explorers must first overcome one of the biggest challenges of deep ocean exploration: extreme pressure.Įverything in the deep ocean is under a great deal of pressure. The ocean floor in particular is home to unique marine organisms, as well as enormous geological features like volcanoes, canyons, and ridgelines. Research and commercial vessels travel the surface of the ocean regularly, but the deepest parts of the ocean remain largely unseen by humans. Though oceans cover more than 70 percent of Earth’s surface, less than 5 percent of our oceans have been explored. ![]()
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