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Polar Bear Response to Sea Ice Loss

Christina, what an interesting journal entry on the divers! My husband is a diver ( in warm waters!) and we were wondering how far down do they dive, and what is the atmospheric pressure there? Are they using compressed air or a special mixture ? How long can they stay down before they get frostbite on their cheeks? And why and how do they get air into their gloves? Stay warm, Lollie

Sat, 10/10/2009 - 15:30

Cristina Galvan

Hi Lollie,Glad you like the entry on the divers. I am fascinated by them as well.
I checked in with one of the divers to get answers to your questions.
They use compressed air for their dives.
For depth, they could potentially go as deep as 20 meters (about 66
feet) - meaning there would be 3 atmospheres of pressure (3 times the
normal pressure). However, the deepest they have gone so far is about
50 feet. This when when they dove under a chunk of ice that was 40 feet
thick! The divers said it was really dark under that piece of ice.
They won't get frostbite on their cheeks because the temperature of the
water is above freezing. However, their cheeks get really numb!
One of the divers puts a small tube between her dry suit and her gloves
to put a small amount of air into her gloves. That way when she fill
her dry suit with a bit of air using her tank, it also goes into her
gloves. The air acts a layer of insulation between her skin and the
VERY cold water.
Thanks for the questions and keep them coming!
Cristina