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- When a human body is submerged in water, it undergoes a unique decomposition process that is influenced by several factors. The stages of advanced decay in water include initial submersion, putrefaction, and skeletonization, which occur at different rates depending on factors such as water temperature, depth, currents, and aquatic life.
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When a human body is submerged in water, it undergoes a unique decomposition process that is influenced by several factors. The stages of advanced decay in water include initial submersion, putrefaction, and skeletonization, which occur at different rates depending on factors such as water temperature, depth, currents, and aquatic life.
Water temperature and current will affect the rate of cooling for a body in a liquid environment. The core temperature of the body at the time of recovery is even less helpful in determining postmortem interval when the body is recovered from water.
Sep 23, 2021 · As your submerged corpse decays under water, bacteria in your gut and chest cavity builds up and produces methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide - AKA gas. This combination makes your body bloat and float up to the surface of the water.
- Natalie Hazen
Apr 7, 2024 · The salinity, acidity, and alkalinity of the water affect decomposition. Salt and acidic water will slow the process with the latter having a preservative-like effect on the human tissue. In contrast, water with a high alkalinity will increase the rate of decomposition.
There are many factors that should be considered when understanding how the steps of decomposition, at what rate, and how the body reacts throughout the decomposition process. Here we’ll go over what decomposition in water is and how it can differ from natural body decomposition.
For reasons that still aren’t well understood, human skin starts to break down after continuous immersion in water of a few days. You’d suffer open sores and be liable to fungal and bacterial infections just from the spores on your skin, even if the water itself was perfectly sterile.
In cold water, the bacterial action that causes a body to bloat with gas may be so slowed that the body stays on the seabed. The skin will absorb water and peel away from the underlying tissues in about a week and fish, crabs and sea lice will nibble away at the flesh.