Re: Is there enough water pressure at the bottom of the ocean to fuse hydrogen?

Hi, Joel...

I am afraid the pressure at the bottom is not enough for hydrogen bubbles
to fuse. The pressure at the bottom can be estimated by considering the
amount of water above to be (taking a depth of 10.000 m):

pressure = density of water x g x depth = (approx.) 10^5 pascals

Now, let's assume for the sake of the argument that hydrogen bubbles do
indeed form at the bottom and that, to remain at the bottom, their 
density equals that of water. This means that the number of hydrogen 
atoms per cubic meter in those bubbles should be:

n = mass density of water / proton mass = (approx) 6 x 10^26 particles/m^3.

Using now to get a quick estimate that P = nKT, with K the
Boltmann constant (1.38 10^-23 J/K), its temperature would be of 
the order of

T = (approx) P/Kn = 10 Kelvin.
  
which is close to 3-4 orders of magnitude lower to that required to even
form a plasma at that density. 

Besides, the density of any hydrogen bubble (if it formed by some unknown
process) would probably be much smaller than that of water, since hydrogen
is much lighter than oxygen. Thus, by Archimede's principle, it would move
quickly towards the sea surface, and they wouldn't be confined long enough!

Raul