How does fluid pressure change with depth in a lake?

In a lake, fluid pressure increases as you dive deeper below the surface. This phenomenon occurs because the pressure at any given depth is determined by the weight of the water column above that point, in addition to the atmospheric pressure acting on the surface.12

The relationship is described by the hydrostatic equation, which can be expressed as:

$$p=\rho gz$$

In this equation:
* $p$ is the hydrostatic pressure at a specific depth.
* $\rho$ (rho) represents the density of the water.
* $g$ is the acceleration due to gravity.
* $z$ is the depth below the surface.3

Because water is relatively incompressible, its density remains nearly constant at different depths in a lake, causing pressure to rise linearly as depth increases. For example, due to the density of water and the force of gravity, the pressure increases significantly with every meter of descent; at a depth of 10 meters, the pressure is already approximately twice the value of atmospheric pressure.1