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Weekend


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January 9, 2004

Strange But True!

  • A weekly column of incidental information, off-the-wall observations and other random facts about the world.
    • By BILL SONES and RICH SONES, Ph.D.
    Special to the Journal

    Q. How do deep-sea creatures survive at depths so great the hydrostatic pressure could crush a submarine?

    A. Unlike shallower fish with gas-filled swim bladders for navigating up or down, deep dwellers are composed mostly of water, which resists compression even under great pressure, says Paul Pinet in "Invitation to Oceanography: Second Edition." How much pressure? Water is so heavy that just 33 feet of it (10 meters) adds the equivalent of 1 atmosphere of pressure, or 14.7 psi (10,000 kg/sq. meter). At 6.2 miles (10 km), make that 1,000 atmospheres!


     
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