AS Biology

GOLD 1- Writing- High Altitude Transport

Name:
Class:

Due: Friday
(2/27)

Date: 2/26/15
Gold 1

Todays Announcements:
Turn in the Hemoglobin Homework and answers from page 3 of Transport of
oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood
Tomorrows quiz will be postponed until next Tuesday, March 3.
The remainder of the Ch. 8 End-of-chapter Questions (5-7) are due tomorrow.
Todays assignment is due tomorrow.

The effect of high altitude on oxygen transport

On my Weebly, Ive posted helpful resources:

Score:
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http://ecampbellasuprep.weebly.com/g1-announcements/sub-day-high-altitude-transport
(WeeblyBioG1 Announcements)
Background Info:
Problems associated with high altitude: The partial pressure at high altitude is significantly lower than at sea level (10 kPa vs
20 kPa).
Therefore the partial pressure in the lings at altitude is lower than at sea level.
Therefore the haemoglobin may only be 70% saturated in the lungs at high altitude.
This may cause altitude sickness: Increased rate & depth of breathing.
Feeling of dizziness/weakness.
Arterioles in brain dilate increased blood flow to brain leakage of tissue fluid from
capillaries to brain tissues disorientation.
Fluid may leak into lungs impaired lung function.
Usually the symptoms decline if the person is returned to lower altitude.
Adaptations to high altitude: Number of RBC increase from 40-50% of blood volume to 50-70%, but only after 2-3
weeks of living at altitude.
Broad chests larger lung capacities.
Larger heart greater stroke volume.
More haemoglobin in blood greater oxygen carrying capacity.

AS Biology
GOLD 1- Writing- High Altitude Transport

Due: Friday
(2/27)

Question
Athletes often prepare for competition by spending several months training at high altitude. How
could this improve their performance?
Directions
Answer this question using at least one paragraph. Use the last portion of the Coursebook
Ch. 8 reading, the background info on the front and back of this hand-out, and Google to
help, as needed.

This will be graded using a Cambridge rubric, so be thorough in your response. Please type
this and share it with me on Google Drive (emcampb3@asu.edu). I would like to see
between to 2 pages typed and double spaced.

Additionally, please list all sources used.

If you finish early, please work on completing the Ch. 8 EOCQs.

Training: altitude or sea-level?

In related work carried out by researchers at the University of
Copenhagen, competitive rowers who trained at sea level achieved
significantly greater gains in fitness, compared to rowers who trained at
altitude.
Nine rowers who trained at sea level for three weeks raised their maximal
aerobic capacity (V02max) by an average of 4 per cent and upgraded work
capacity during a difficult six-minute exercise test by about 3 per cent.
By contrast, nine other rowers who trained at an elevation of 1822 metres
(about 6000 feet) for three weeks were unable to improve their sea-level
V02max or sea-level performance during the six-minute exercise.
Since rowing involves the activation of a smaller total muscle mass
compared to cycling and running, some exercise scientists have speculated
that rowing has a reduced positive impact on the cardiovascular system
(it's easier for the heart to keep the arm and shoulder muscles supplied
with blood, compared to the arduous task of keeping the ample leg muscles
happy, so heart rates are often lower during rowing. With reduced heart
rates, there may simply be less stimulus for the heart to improve).
However, the Copenhagen research determined that rowing athletes have
hearts and blood vessels which are similar to those of endurance cyclists
and runners. Overall, rowers have hearts with large internal volumes and
thick, muscular walls, and their total blood volumes are also
significantly higher than those of sedentary people.
Why was sea-level training better than altitude work for the competitive
rowers? Again, the difference was probably due to the intensity-dampening
effect of altitude. As oxygen pressures decrease, it becomes more
difficult to sustain high-quality intensities for prolonged periods during
workouts. As a result, rowers working at altitude are usually training at
2

AS Biology
GOLD 1- Writing- High Altitude Transport

Due: Friday
(2/27)

a lower power output than sea-level trainers. Over a period of several

weeks, that difference translates into an advantage for the sea-level
athletes.

Of course, altitude training is necessary to produce the best-possible

performances at altitude, but its advantages for sea-level competitions
remain doubtful. Overall, the best-possible strategy for endurance
athletes is to live at altitude, in order to enjoy the
haemoglobin-boosting effects of thin air, but to train at sea level or
with supplemental oxygen, so that high-quality training is possible.
That's difficult to do, unless you happen to have your own helicopter or
aeroplane or live in one of the few high-altitude communities in the world
which are also just minutes away from a sea-level training site.
'High-Altitude Training Does Not Increase Maximal Oxygen-Uptake or Work
Capacity at Sea-Level in Rowers, ' Scandinavian Journal of Medicine &
Science in Sports, vol. 3(4), pp. 256-262, November 1993