At what depth does a partial pressure of 1.6 ATA occur?

To understand at what depth a partial pressure of 1.6 ATA occurs, it's important to apply the concept of partial pressure in diving. The partial pressure of a gas increases with depth due to the weight of water above the diver, adding pressure.

At sea level, the atmospheric pressure is approximately 1 ATA (absolute atmosphere). As a diver descends, the pressure increases by approximately 0.445 ATA for every foot of seawater (fsw). Therefore, to calculate the depth at which the partial pressure reaches 1.6 ATA, we can use the following equation:

Total pressure at depth = Atmospheric pressure + Hydrostatic pressure

Total pressure at depth = 1 ATA + (Depth in fsw * 0.445 ATA/f).

To find the depth corresponding to 1.6 ATA:

1.6 ATA = 1 ATA + (Depth * 0.445 ATA/fsw).

Rearranging gives:

Depth * 0.445 = 1.6 - 1 = 0.6

Depth = 0.6 / 0.445 ≈ 1.35 fsw per ATA.

Then, we calculate:

1.35 fsw per ATA * 0.6 ATA