High-altitude research
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There are a wide range of potential applications for research at high altitude, including medical,
High-altitude medical research
The most obvious and direct application of high-altitude research is to understand altitude illnesses such as
Travelling to high altitude is often used as a way of studying the way the body responds to a shortage of oxygen. It is difficult and prohibitively expensive to conduct some of this research at sea level.
Although the shortage of air contributes to the effects on the human body, research has found that most altitude sicknesses can be linked to the lack of atmospheric pressure. At low elevation, the pressure is higher because the molecules of air are compressed from the weight of the air above them. However, at higher elevations, the pressure is lower and the molecules are more dispersed. The percentage of oxygen in the air at sea level is the same at high altitudes. But because the air molecules are more spread out at higher altitudes, each breath takes in less oxygen to the body. With this in mind, the lungs take in as much air as possible, but because the atmospheric pressure is lower the molecules are more dispersed, resulting in a lower amount of oxygen per breath.
At 26,000 feet the body reaches a maximum and can no longer adjust to the altitude, often referred to as the "Death Zone".[3]
References
- ^ Cymerman, A; Rock, PB. "Medical Problems in High Mountain Environments. A Handbook for Medical Officers". USARIEM-TN94-2. US Army Research Inst. of Environmental Medicine Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division Technical Report. Archived from the original on 2009-04-23. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
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(help)CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "altitude-sickness.org". Archived from the original on 2007-08-18. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
- ^ "High Altitude: What Happens to the Human Body In the "Death Zone" : Articles : SummitPost". www.summitpost.org. Txmountaineer.
External links