So, it’s crystals...like ICE....what is the temperature down there in the water,...I’m confused, we’re talking GULF here not ARTIC.
5,000 feet deep? Probably just above freezing.
It’s also a function of pressure.
> So, it’s crystals...like ICE....what is the temperature down there in the water,...I’m confused, we’re talking GULF here not ARTIC.
They call it ice, but it’s more like moth ball-like large waxy chunks of crystals mixed in vasoline. It’s methane-hydrate and it is formed from methane and water under very high pressure.
when you get 5000 feet down, there is so much insulation from the surface, that it makes no difference what the surface looks like — the temp is just above freezing
“So, it’s crystals...like ICE....what is the temperature down there in the water,...I’m confused, we’re talking GULF here not ARTIC.”
This is from an article that was written before the box was lowered into the gulf.
The Register Citizen: Northwest Connecticut’s Daily Newspaper
Serving Litchfield County, CT
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: Boat with containment box at oil site
Published: Thursday, May 06, 2010
“That process presents several challenges because of the frigid water temperature — about 42 degrees Fahrenheit — and exceptionally high pressure at those depths. Those conditions could cause the pipe to clog with what are known in the drilling industry as “ice plugs.” To combat that problem, crews plan to continuously pump warm water and methanol down the pipe to dissolve the clogging.”
http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2010/05/06/news/doc4be2ab4474914955388048.txt