- A submersible that transports tourists to the wreckage of the Titanic went missing on Sunday.
- The US Coast Guard stated that the oxygen supply is expected to deplete by Thursday afternoon.
- An expert mentioned that if passengers get cold and shiver, the supply could be used up to three times faster.
A submersible responsible for transporting tourists to the wreckage of the Titanic has not been located since it went missing on Sunday in the North Atlantic.
The crew of the Titan submersible lost contact with its mothership one hour and 45 minutes after submerging on Sunday morning, according to the US Coast Guard. Unlike a submarine, a submersible requires its mothership to reach the bottom of the ocean and return.
By Monday afternoon, the US Coast Guard estimated that the submersible had between 70 to 96 hours of oxygen left for the passengers before potentially running out on Thursday afternoon, Eastern Time.
Impact of Cold Temperature on Oxygen Consumption
The range of hours is influenced by several factors, explained Mike Tipton, head of the extreme environments laboratory at Portsmouth University, UK. He stated that the rate at which oxygen is consumed depends on the activity being performed.
For example, cycling uses around two liters of oxygen per minute, while resting conserves about a third of a liter. The experienced passengers onboard the Titan submersible are knowledgeable about conserving oxygen.
However, if the submersible has lost power and is sitting on the seabed at a temperature of 40°F, the coldness may cause passengers to shiver, resulting in a threefold increase in oxygen consumption, according to Tipton.
According to Tipton, “Shivering is a form of exercise that consumes up to about a liter of oxygen per minute.”
Survival Without Oxygen
In the event that the submersible’s oxygen runs out, passengers may experience restlessness, headaches, confusion, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, blue fingertips, and eventually loss of consciousness, warned Tipton.
Insider previously reported that the body can only survive for approximately three minutes without oxygen, exceeding this time frame can result in brain damage.
If the submersible loses power, passengers may face additional issues such as carbon dioxide poisoning.
Tipton explained that the submersible’s oxygen production system, known as a scrubber, relies on chemicals to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. This process requires electricity.
If the pump stops, the efficiency of the scrubber decreases, allowing CO2 levels to rise in the atmosphere and potentially becoming life-threatening.
Symptoms of CO2 poisoning include shortness of breath, headaches, disorientation, confusion, and seizures.
Tipton acknowledged that the survivability of the passengers onboard the submersible is uncertain due to the lack of information regarding the situation.
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