Blobfish project- Kalie Cannon, Syrit Bansi

The Blobfish & Boyle's Law

Description:

The blobfish is a species of deep sea fish which reside in high pressure waters found 2,000-4,000 feet below the surface. Known for its pink, slimy appearence the blobfish dies and looses its natural body shape when brought to the surface.

How does Boyle's Law apply to Blobfish?

Boyle’s Law describes the correlation between volume and pressure of gases, and further states that as volume increases, pressure will also increase. When applied to sea life, the more volume one submerges themselves in, the higher the pressure is. The pressures of the water can affect the shape of a creature, that is why most aquatic creatures have swim bladders that support their buoyancy. Although blobfish are not built with a swim bladder, they instead rely on their minimal skeletal system to provide buoyancy. When in the depths of the sea, the immense pressure holds the blob fishes' shape together. When they are resurfaced, the significant pressure change results in their skin looking saggy, since there isn’t enough pressure to hold their structure.

Image Analysis:

In deep pressures of water, the blobfish is able to retain its "normal" shape. This is due to the blobfish having a minimal skeletal strucutre, gelatenous body, and no swim bladder.

This image depicts a blob fish which has been brought to the surface accidentally by a fisherman. Due to the rapid change in pressure, the blobfish implodes and their exterior features sag and expand.

Ocean Depth-

blobfish are found between the twilight zone and the abyssal zone.

Example-

An applied example of the concept of Boyle's Law would be the difference in gas pressure of the Pelagic fish at different water levels. The equation of Boyle's Law is (P1)(V1)= (P2)(V2), which is a direct relationship. The maximum volume that the Palegic fish can swim in 18.55m^3 which is 274.8 PSI, in order to find the pressure of Pelagic fish in 7.08 m^3 we would set up the equation to find V2. The new equation is (274.8PSI)(18.55m^3) = (P2)(7.08m^3) and from here we would multiply V1 and V2 and then divide that number by 7.08m^3, resulting in a pressure of 720.0 PSI.

Citations

Philomena, S. (2013, September 14). Blobfish: World's Ugliest Animal. Retrieved May 10, 2021, from https://www.medindia.net/news/blobfish-worlds-ugliest-animal-125001-1.htmCalo, A. (2015, March 12). Science Spotlight: Fish, Swim Bladders and Boyle's Law. KQED. https://www.kqed.org/quest/73927/science-spotlight-fish-swim-bladders-and-boyles-law. Schultz, C. (2013, September 13). In Defense of the Blobfish: Why the "World's Ugliest Animal" Isn't as Ugly as You Think It Is. Smithsonian.com. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-defense-of-the-blobfish-why-the-worlds-ugliest-animal-isnt-as-ugly-as-you-think-it-is-6676336/. Staff, T. I. L. L. (2021, February 28). Protect the Blobfish! Lyra Thackeray Newstead Wood School. This Is Local London. https://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/youngreporter/18909525.protect-blobfish/.

+ voted the world's ugliest animal

+ they are not very active due to the lack of food

+ live up to 130 years

+ although they are only 12 in, they weigh around 20 pounds

Kalie Cannon, Syrit Bansi