Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 04/08/2009 - 23:01
Forums
Spring Plankton and Changing Ice Cover

Lucia Garcia Gallego, a 3rd grader at Oyster, and her dad wondered during a recent trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, how long would it take a person without clothing to die in really cold weather Is there a formula or a chart with estimated times and temperatures?

Fri, 04/10/2009 - 10:09

Simone Welch

Two answers...1. The effect of the cold on the human body is made much worse with the increase in wind.  As the wind chill increases the amount of time that it takes to get frostbite gets shorter quickly.  Even if the temperature is relatively warm here, when the wind is blowing people can get frostbite pretty quickly. There is a chart on board that calculates these numbers so people know when to be extra safe!
I called the sick bay and asked "Doc" your question.  This is what he said...
Estimating the time that it would take you to get in really bad shape in the water goes like this-
30 mins until you can't move, and an hour and half until you would die. Not good numbers!
Exposure out of water is a bit harder to be exact with because there are more factors to consider- wind, sunlight, etc.. Basically though, on a day like today (wind chill -23F), if you were inappropriately dressed you would start to show signs of hypothermia in about 30-45 mins.  
In other words, zip up and stay dry!
Write again soon!Ms. W