Find out the pressure at deep sea level and high up in the atmosphere. How do humans manage this pressure in these locations?
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Answer:
Though oceans cover more than 70 percent of Earth’s surface, less than 5 percent of our oceans have been explored. Research and commercial vessels travel the surface of the ocean regularly, but the deepest parts of the ocean remain largely unseen by humans. The ocean floor in particular is home to unique marine organisms, as well as enormous geological features like volcanoes, canyons, and ridgelines. 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.
Pressure in the Deep
Everything in the deep ocean is under a great deal of pressure. At any depth in the ocean, the weight of the water above pushes on any object below it. 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. 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. 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. 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!