Point 11 of 24 — Module 11 — Physical Factors and Their Effect on the Atmosphere and on Living OrganismsQuestion bank: 1 questions (0 with pictures)
11 2.4 Atmospheric pressure and living organisms
Humans at high altitude. At altitude the air is thinner: there is less oxygen per breath. The oxygen deficiency stresses the body, which adapts by increasing the production of red blood cells (responsible for carrying oxygen), so that more oxygen can be carried to the tissues from the limited supply. Breathing and heart rates also increase (acclimatisation takes days to weeks). People living at altitude have a higher red-cell count. (Climbers who ascend too fast may get altitude sickness: headache, nausea, breathlessness.)
Low pressure outside the body. At mountaintops the atmospheric pressure is low. The large difference between the pressure inside the body (blood pressure maintained) and the low pressure outside can cause undesirable effects, such as the rupture of tiny capillaries in the nose of some climbers (nosebleed) — the thin-walled vessels are pushed out by the higher pressure inside.
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