Below the sunlit zone: hydrothermal vents, polar ice sheets, thermocline stratification and the global ocean conveyor belt — interactive physics of Earth's final frontier.
Ocean physics — from surface waves to the abyss
Deep-dive guides and explainers
More simulations across science disciplines
Buoyancy, pressure, sonar, refraction, and deep-ocean physics
Underwater physics simulations model the distinctive physical environment of aquatic environments. Hydrostatic pressure simulations show how pressure increases linearly with depth at 1 bar per 10 metres, explaining why diving equipment requires pressure compensation and why deep-sea creatures need rigid shells or specialised biochemistry. Buoyancy and Archimedes' principle simulations compute the equilibrium depth of submerged bodies with different compressibility and shape.
Sonar simulation models emit acoustic pulses, propagate them through a stratified ocean with a sound-speed profile (the SOFAR channel), compute travel time from seafloor reflections, and reconstruct a bathymetric map — the same principle behind multibeam echo sounders. Underwater light-attenuation models show how depth and turbidity attenuate different wavelengths, explaining why underwater photography loses reds first and why bioluminescence is evolutionarily advantageous in the deep ocean.
Each simulation in this category is built with accuracy and interactivity in mind. The underlying mathematical models are the same ones used in academic research and professional engineering — just made accessible through a web browser. Changing parameters in real time and observing the results is one of the most effective ways to build intuition for complex scientific and engineering concepts.
Topics and algorithms you'll explore in this category
Common questions about this simulation category