Grace Barton

Mrs. Fisher HBS Period 6

Activity 6.1: Underwater Chapter
10 May 2017
Part 1: Stresses
1. Decompression Sickness: When scuba diving you use compressed air, which
makes you suck in O2 and N2, but your body does not use these substances
equally. The human body takes in the oxygen and uses it, but when nitrogen
is taken in it is immediately dissolved and absorbed into the human blood
and it stays there for the remainder of your scuba dive. When coming back to
the surface, the pressure in the water decreases slowly. It is important that
this process occurs slowly because if the process happens to fast, the
nitrogen in your blood wont have enough time to remove itself from the
blood. This forces the nitrogen to spread throughout your blood and tissues
and forms bubbles. So decompression sickness is caused by these tiny
bubbles of nitrogen, and it causes joint pain, headache, weakness, fatigue,
etc. Also these nitrogen bubbles are carried by blood that is being circulated
into tissues and organs, if these bubbles become too big for the vessels
nutrients and oxygen cannot be transmitted and the body tissues and organ
downstream ultimately starve. Also the bends results in white blood cells
becoming infected and have trouble fighting off infections.
2. Nitrogen Narcosis: This is caused by a combo of increased depth and
exertion. This is also caused by nerve tissue filled with high levels of nitrogen,
and this causes the following symptoms a state that is almost the same to
intoxication of alcohol, no decision making process abilities, no focus abilities,
no judgment, impairs your coordination. You cannot hear or see well, and
could lead to paranoia and hallucinations.
3. As underwater pressure decreases, when the scuba diver moves closer to the
surface, this causes a rapid increase of the gas located in the lungs, if this
level stays there or increases this will cause the elasticity of the alveoli to
become limited, this change in alveoli causes the air be sent to the
pulmonary circulation. This then spreads to the carotid arteries, neck, then
the brain, this causes symptoms of a stroke, such as fatigue,
lightheadedness, trouble speaking, and muscle numbness.
4. Seeing issues: To be able to see properly eyes must be enlarged, and have
bioluminescent qualities (able to create own light through chemical
reactions). Humans unfortunately do not have large eyes, and the main factor
to blurriness is that human eyes include lenses that are currently adapted to
focus on light rays through air, but water bends light in a different angle
causing it to hit the lenses another way, causing blurred vision.
5. Exceeding amounts of pressure caused by underwater pressure changes can
result in ear barotrauma, ear pain from the uneven pressure of the inside and
outside of the ear drum, resulting in hearing loss, ear pain, and rupture of the
eardrum in extreme cases.
Part 2: How systems adapt
1. Respiratory System: Responds to the excessive amount of pressure that is
associated with nitrogen narcosis, underwater pressure decreasing, and
decompression sickness, by sending air to hollow spaces, trachea to lungs,
throat to digestive tract, skull to small ducts that lead to sinuses or bigger
tubes that move it to the middle ear. By continually pumping this air
pressure, it keeps the body from collapsing, from obtaining decompression
sickness, and helps to maintain air pressure when ascending upward.
2. Immune system: Responds to decompression sickness or the bends, by the
white blood cells interpret the lack of blood flow as an infection and proceed
to inflame the area, then platelets react by clotting.
3.
4. L
Part 3: Precautions
1. To prevent the burst of the eardrum. You can use a process that is almost like
blowing your nose, by blowing against your closed lips and nose that is
pinched, you can increase air pressure in his mouth and throat, resulting in
balanced inside and outside pressure.
2. Underwater yoga can help with mental discipline and body control.
3. Wear protective gear that can act as a seals coat, and keep us internally
warm.
4. Dont scuba dive with allergies, colds, or any types of sicknesses that include
nasal congestion.
5. Wear the enclosed face masks, because they enclose air and allow for us to
see underwater without blur.
6. Have adequate amounts of nitrogen and oxygen stored for your dive.
Part 4: Invention
1. My invention to help with the extreme environment of underwater would be
manufactured gills. Fish take in oxygen filled water, and push it in their
gills, then push it out through the gills openings, also simultaneously pushing
oxygen lacking blood through the gills filaments. This means they only take
oxygen from the water they are currently breathing. My manufactured gills
will be placed on the face, almost as an additional face mask, but will
unconditionally provide the oxygen the humans need, but it will release
everything other than the oxygen so the humans dont inhale water and
cause damage. This will allow divers to stay underwater for longer periods of
time and decrease the changes of the bends and nitrogen narcosis.