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CHAPTER 2 — Underwater Physics 2-11 n The difference in temperature between the warmer and cooler material n The thermal conductivity of the materials Not all substances conduct heat at the same rate. Iron, helium, and water are excel lent heat conductors while air is a very poor conductor. Placing a poor heat conductor between a source of heat and another substance insulates the substance and slows the transfer of heat. Materials such as wool and foam rubber insulate the human body and are effective because they contain thousands of pockets of trapped air. The air pockets are too small to be subject to convective currents, but block conductive transfer of heat. 2-8.3 Diver Body Temperature. A diver will start to become chilled when the water temperature falls below a seemingly comfortable 70°F (21°C). Below 70°F, a diver wearing only a swim ming suit loses heat to the water faster than his body can replace it. Unless he is provided some protection or insulation, he may quickly experience difficulties. A chilled diver cannot work efficiently or think clearly, and is more susceptible to decompression sickness. Suit compression, increased gas density, thermal conductivity of breathing gases, and respiratory heat loss are contributory factors in maintaining a diver’s body temperature. Cellular neoprene wet suits lose a major portion of their insulating properties as depth increases and the material compresses. As a consequence, it is often necessary to employ a thicker suit, a dry suit, or a hot water suit for extended exposures to cold water. The heat transmission characteristics of an individual gas are directly proportional to its density. Therefore, the heat lost through gas insulating barriers and respira - tory heat lost to the surrounding areas increase with depth. The heat loss is further aggravated when high thermal conductivity gases, such as helium-oxygen, are used for breathing. The respiratory heat loss alone increases from 10 percent of the body’s heat generating capacity at one ata (atmosphere absolute), to 28 percent at 7 ata, to 50 percent at 21 ata when breathing helium-oxygen. Under these circum stances, standard insulating materials are insufficient to maintain body temperatures and supplementary heat must be supplied to the body surface and respiratory gas. 2-9 PRESSURE IN DIVING Pressure is defined as a force acting upon a particular area of matter. It is typically measured in pounds per square inch (psi) in the English system and Newton per square centimeter (N/cm 2 ) in the System International (SI). Underwater pressure is a result of the weight of the water above the diver and the weight of the atmo sphere over the water. There is one concept that must be remembered at all times—any diver, at any depth, must be in pressure balance with the forces at that depth. The body can only function normally when the pressure difference between the forces acting inside of the diver’s body and forces acting outside is very small. Pressure, whether of the atmosphere, seawater, or the diver’s breathing gases, must always be thought of in terms of maintaining pressure balance.

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