Since 1is March, American Joe Dituri locked himself in an underwater habitat off the coast of Florida for 100 days. If the objective is partly to beat the current record of 73 days, the motivations of this adventure called “Neptune 100 project” are numerous and above all scientific.
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For some, it might seem like a real nightmare, but Joe Dituri is like a fish in water. The man, a former US Navy diver and doctor of biomedicine decided to spend 100 days under the surface of the ocean aboard a small module named Jules’ Undersea Lodge. The objective: to work on the effects that prolonged exposure to high pressure has on the body. In his life on the surface, the researcher is indeed interested in barotraumatic accidents that can affect divers.
The Neptune 100 project: “100 days under the sea”. © YouTube
Understand the physiological effects of high pressure over the long term
While it is 1 bar on the surface, the pressure increases with depth and is already 2 bars just 10 meters deep. This rapid increase in pressure can have multiple impacts on the body during the descent, such as compression of organs and cavities such as the sinuses, or pressure on the eardrums which must then be balanced. But the increase in pressure will above all promote the dissolution of nitrogen in the blood and this is where the real danger lies. From a depth of ten meters, but especially beyond 30 meters, this excess nitrogen in the blood affects the nervous system and can cause serious behavioral problems. This is called narcosis of the depths. The main risk at this stage is drowning.
The other danger of the presence of nitrogen in the blood is at the time of the ascent. If this is too fast, the dissolved nitrogen will not have time to be evacuated by the lungs and will regain its gaseous form inside the blood vessels or organs, which can cause irreversible damage, even death. dead. There are of course a whole series of protocols to follow that allow you to avoid these accidents and to fully enjoy your dive, but understanding exactly the physiological processes that are related to pressure is essential to better treat victims of this type of accident. accident. In particular, scientists do not yet fully understand how deep narcosis works. It could be linked to a change in the way neurotransmitters send signals between neurons and the brain.
100 days, cut off from the world
Imprisoned only 10 meters deep, Joe Dituri should not suffer from these disorders. His body will however be subjected for several months to a pressure double that to which we are accustomed. In his underwater habitat of 55 square meters, the researcher will thus carry out multiple physiological experiments in order to determine exactly what are the modifications undergone by his body. They will concern the pressure of course, but also the reduced exposure to sunlight. This could indeed lead to a disruption of its internal clock (we speak of circadian rhythm), but also a vitamin D deficiency that it will have to compensate for in another way in order to avoid a reduction in its immune system and a loss of bone mass.
In parallel with these physiology studies, Joe Dituri also wishes to promote the protection and preservation of the marine environment. See you in 70 days for its return to the surface!
