Suppose that the water pressure at the bottom of Lake Nyos is 25 atm. What is the solubility of carbon dioxide at that depth? Here is the article that went along with this question. Most people living near Lake Nyos in the West African country of Cameroon began August 22, 1986, like any other day. Unfortunately, their day ended in tragedy. On that evening, a large cloud of carbon dioxide gas burped up from the depths of Lake Nyos, killing over 1700 people and about 3000 cattle. Two years before, a similar tragedy had occurred in Lake Monoun, just 60 miles away, killing 37 people.Today, scientists have taken steps to prevent these lakes from accumulating the carbon dioxide that caused the disasters. Lake Nyos is a water-filled volcanic crater. Some 50 miles beneath the surface of the lake, molten volcanic rock (magma) produces carbon dioxide gas that seeps into the lake. The carbon dioxide forms a solution with the lake water. The high pressure at the bottom of the deep lake allows the solution to become highly concentrated in carbon dioxide. The 1986 disaster occurred because over time—either because of the high concentration itself or because of some other natural trigger such as a landslide or small earthquake—some gaseous carbon dioxide escaped. The rising bubbles disrupted the stratified layers of lake water, causing water at the bottom of the lake to rise to a region of lower pressure. The drop in pressure decreased the solubility of the carbon dioxide, so more carbon dioxide bubbles formed. This in turn caused more churning and still more carbon dioxide release. The result was a massive cloud of carbon dioxide gas that escaped from the lake. Since carbon dioxide is heavier than air, the carbon dioxide traveled down the sides of the volcano and into the nearby valley, displacing air and asphyxiating many of the local residents. In an effort to keep these events from recurring, scientists have constructed a piping system that slowly vents carbon dioxide from the lake bottom, preventing the buildup that led to the tragedy.
My question is
Suppose that the water pressure at the bottom of
Lake Nyos is 25 atm. What is the solubility of carbon dioxide at
that depth?
Here is the article that went along with this question.
Most people living near Lake Nyos in the West African
country of Cameroon began August 22, 1986, like any
other day. Unfortunately, their day ended in tragedy.
On that evening, a large cloud of carbon dioxide gas burped up from the depths of Lake Nyos, killing over 1700 people and
about 3000 cattle. Two years before, a similar tragedy had
occurred in Lake Monoun, just 60 miles away, killing 37 people.Today, scientists have taken steps to prevent these lakes from
accumulating the carbon dioxide that caused the disasters.
Lake Nyos is a water-filled volcanic crater. Some 50 miles
beneath the surface of the lake, molten volcanic rock (magma)
produces carbon dioxide gas that seeps into the lake. The
carbon dioxide forms a solution with the lake water. The high
pressure at the bottom of the deep lake allows the solution to
become highly concentrated in carbon dioxide. The 1986
disaster occurred because over time—either because of the
high concentration itself or because of some other natural
trigger such as a landslide or small earthquake—some gaseous
carbon dioxide escaped. The rising bubbles disrupted the
stratified layers of lake water, causing water at the bottom of
the lake to rise to a region of lower pressure. The drop in
pressure decreased the solubility of the carbon dioxide, so
more carbon dioxide bubbles formed. This in turn caused more
churning and still more carbon dioxide release. The result was a
massive cloud of carbon dioxide gas that escaped from the
lake. Since carbon dioxide is heavier than air, the carbon
dioxide traveled down the sides of the volcano and into the
nearby valley, displacing air and asphyxiating many of the local
residents.
In an effort to keep these events from recurring, scientists
have constructed a piping system that slowly vents carbon
dioxide from the lake bottom, preventing the buildup that led to
the tragedy.
My question is
Suppose that the water pressure at the bottom of
Lake Nyos is 25 atm. What is the solubility of carbon dioxide at
that depth?
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