Post created by: Samuel
The ocean is a tremendously colossal place. Covering a little over 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, it harbors an approximate 99% of all living space on Earth. Its average depth is 12,100 ft or 2.3 miles while its deepest locals, such as the Mariana Trench, reach down to 36,200 ft – 6.8 miles. Only 5-10% of this “abyss” has been explored. Needless to say, life in the ocean has adapted and specialized to suit its environment. “Life finds a way,” and, as specialized as Humans have become to thrive on land, I would like to pose a question. What would it take to become Aquaman?
No problem, right? Humans can already swim in water, although not very quickly or efficiently, and have devised ways to overcome limitations to diving. To survive without the aid of technology – to survive via pure biology – is another matter entirely. Kyle Hill on Because Science points out with the inspiration of Aquaman and the help of Dr. Andrew David Thaller’s expertise three difficult problems that stand in the way of our life under the sea: body heat, ocean osmosis, and pressure.
Firstly, our biology as it is cannot effectively enough regulate its body heat. The surface of the ocean is 10 degrees colder than our normal core body temp, but, due to the thermocline (which describes how temperature is related to depth), 90% of the sea is 3 degrees Celsius or below. Besides a miniscule layer, the vast majority of the ocean is basically uninhabitable without acquiring insulating properties such as increased body fat percentages or fur. The blue whale has some of the highest body fat percentages of marine mammals – more than 35% - to combat this issue. The danger of constant hypothermia is compounded by the fact that you lose heat 12 times quicker in water than in air.
Secondly, by the nature of chemistry through the process of osmosis, it is nearly impossible for human life to live in the sea discounting major changes to the kidney. If you haven’t already noticed, your physical body is essentially an amazingly complex bag of water with dissolved electrolytes. Through osmosis, between the lower concentration of water within you and the higher concentration of the ocean, you would begin to shrivel up over longer periods of time, and, eventually, your organs would fail. The water in your body would naturally want to be flow outward; without a way to replenish this water, death would be inevitable. Marine mammals have developed kidneys with thousands of lobes that can filter out the high concentrations of salts so they can take in water from their environment to sidestep this problem.
Lastly, one of the greatest obstacles to oceanic domination is pressure. Pressure can be defined as the force a static fluid exerts on a contact surface and can be understood via the equation P2 = P1 + density*gravity*distance. Essentially, it is the weight of the mixture above you. Humans have no issue surviving 1 atmospheric pressure, but, dive 30 meters below water, a mixture much denser than air (refer to equation), it is physically impossible to inflate your lungs without the use of pressurized air. Gas can be compressed corresponding to the ambient environment to minimize differences in pressure. However, with the concentrated gas dissolved in the blood, if one undergoes a change in pressure or ascends too quickly, this air would come out as bubbles in the bloodstream leading to fatal consequences. Many marine animals have adapted to the issue of pressure via numerous methods, and many mammals possess swim bladders to chemically release gases from the bloodstream.
In conclusion, life under the sea is rather difficult. The biological reality of Aquaman when taking physics into account is actually quite daunting. He has to survive heat loss, ocean osmosis, and changes in pressure to keep himself from becoming a shriveled, bubble-ridden, frozen travesty. The issues are numerous but imagining what it takes to survive the ocean is beyond interesting. The complexity of nature and the creative ways in which these problems are solved is awe-inspiring. God is good.
Sources:
Picture taken from: sea.mashable.com
Tech Insider, April 2017, This Incredible Animation Shows How Deep the Ocean Really Is; Youtube
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwVNkfCov1k)
Because Science, Dec. 2018, How Aquaman’s Body Survives the Sea; Youtube
Thraller, Andrew David. July 2012. The Horrifying Physiological and Psychological Consequences of Being Aquaman; Southern Fried Science
(http://www.southernfriedscience.com/the-horrifying-physiological-and-psychological-consequences-of-being-aquaman/)
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