FOCUS Book

GOING
Pretend you are exploring a new mountain. It is higher
than 8,000 meters (26,250 ft.). To reach the summit,
you and your team will be entering the death zone.
Plan what equipment you will need to bring in order
to survive the harsh temperature, low oxygen, and dry
conditions at that height. Make a checklist and share
it with your classmates. Include a diagram of yourself
and label the equipment you will wear and carry.

Beyond the Book

Find out about how pressure increases as
you go below sea level. What equipment
do people need in order to dive deep
underwater in an ocean?

UP!

Notes

GOING

UP!

FOCUS Question
How does high altitude affect
the human body?

Cause and Effect

Photo Credits:
Front cover: Kenji Kondo/epa/Corbis; title page and throughout: Jupiterimages Corporation; page 2
(left): TraceRouda/iStock/Thinkstock; page 2 (right): Tim Hester/123RF; page 5: Barry Bishop/National
Geographic Creative; page 6 (top): Alex Treadway/National Geographic Creative; page 6 (bottom):
CJ Gunther/epa/Corbis; page 7: Ollyfant/Dreamstime.com; page 8 (top): NASA/Corbis; page 8 (bottom):
Red Bull Content Pool/Rex/REX USA; page 9: ewastudio/123RF
Illustration Credit:
Pages 3: Signe Nordin/ Learning AZ

Going Up!
Learning AZ
Written by Joe Levit
All rights reserved.
www.sciencea-z.com

Notes
Sea-Level Survivors
Most people on Earth live at or near sea levelthe level of
the surface of the sea. The human body is able to handle
the conditions at sea level. The pressure inside our body
is balanced with the outside air pressure pushing in on
us. Our lungs and red blood cells work well due to the
plentiful oxygen in the air near sea level.
Things are different up in the atmosphere. If you were
suddenly placed atop Mount Everestthe highest place
on Earthyou would feel a drop in air pressure. With
less air pushing in on you, your face and hands might
swell. Oxygen molecules at that altitude are farther
apart, so breathing would become more difficult.

Most people live at or close to

sea level and are adapted to
the conditions there.

The extreme elevation of Mount

Everest makes it impossible for
people to live there.

Air Pressure

1 What is air pressure?

2 How can acclimatization help people when hiking
in the mountains?
3 What are two things that people climbing very high
mountains need in order to stay safe? Why?
4 What do Tibetans and some East Africans have in
common, and why is it easier for them to spend
time at high altitude than it is for other people?
5 What is the death zone on a mountain?

FOCUS Question
How does high altitude affect the human body?
Write a brochure for hikers teaching them how
Earths atmosphere will affect their body at higher
altitude. Include the signs and symptoms of altitude
sickness and tips on how to stay safe.

What is air pressure,

and how does it change
with altitude? Earths
atmosphere is made up
of billions upon billions
of air molecules, including Air molecules (blue dots) stack up
and press down on Earths surface.
the oxygen molecules
that we breathe. All these molecules stack up and press
down on Earths surface. Air pressure is a measurement
of the weight of all those molecules.
Moving up from sea level, fewer and fewer air molecules
are in the column of air above you. Therefore, the air
pressure goes down. With less pressure, air molecules
spread out and move farther apart. The greater the
altitude, the lower the air pressure.

Altitude (km)

Write your answers on separate paper. Use details from

the text as evidence.

18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

stratosphere
Mount Everest

sea level

200 300 400 500 600 700 800

Atmospheric Pressure (mmHg)
One way to measure air pressure is in millimeters of mercury, or mmHg.
Air pressure at sea level is 760 mmHg. The pressure on top of Mount
Everest is only 230 mmHg.

10

100

Atmosphere and Climate Going Up!

High-Altitude Side Effects

Safe at Extreme Altitude

For most people, exposure to high altitude causes

problems. Their feet and hands swell. People breathe
faster and more deeply to get more oxygen into their
lungs. Because they are not getting enough oxygen,
people may feel tired. It may
also be harder to fall asleep
Using the diagram,
and hard to wake up.
answer this question:

Airplanes cruise about 10,000 meters (33,000 ft.) above

sea level. At this altitude, the air is freezing and the
pressure is low. So how do people stay safe? Airplanes
are pressurized. Machines make the pressure inside the
cabin similar to the air pressure at sea level. The cabin
is also kept at a comfortable temperature for people.

At what altitude
is the air pressure
about half the air
pressure at sea level?

Since there is less moisture

in the air at high altitude, it
is easy to become dehydrated.
At high altitude, people
exhale, sweat, and
ALTITUDE AND AIR PRESSURE
urinate more. So their
9,000 m (247 mmHg)
bodies lose even more
moisture. Finally,
Extreme
people may suffer
Altitude
from altitude sickness.
5,500 m (395 mmHg)
This means they may
vomit, get headaches, Very High
or feel as though they Altitude 3,500 m (500 mmHg)
have the flu.
2,500 m (570 mmHg)
So how do people
safely climb to high
altitudes?

High
Altitude

Some of the air moving through the planes engines is

used to pressurize the cabin. As the planes engines work,
they pull in outside air and compress it. Compressing the
air raises its pressure and temperature. The air is then
forced through air conditioners and filters so that it is
cool and safe for people to breathe.
Technology allows people to safely travel at high and
even extreme altitude.

1,500 m (640 mmHg)

Sea level (760 mmHg)

Starting at 2,500 m (8,000 ft.),

altitude sickness can affect hikers.

Planes keep you safe while traveling through low-pressure air in the
atmosphere.
Atmosphere and Climate Going Up!

Space Diving

Kittingers jump from

31,333 meters (19.5 mi.)

In the 1950s, the Air Force

wanted to know more
about how high altitude
affects people. Joseph
Kittinger volunteered to
make a high-altitude jump.

Climbing mountains can be safe and fun! Its important

to bring lots of water while hiking in the mountains.
People lose twice the moisture at 1,828 meters (6,000 ft.)
as they do at sea level.

On August 16, 1960, a huge helium balloon carried

Kittinger up into the stratosphere. He wore a special suit
that kept him safe and helped him breathe. He jumped
from the balloons basket and fell toward Earth. He fell
faster than the speed of sound! Luckily, his parachute
opened and he landed safely on the ground.
Even Higher!

Climbing Into Thin Air

42
km

Many climbers also carry bottled oxygen with them when

hiking at very high altitude. They spend just a short time
at the top of a tall mountain to avoid getting sick.
Gradually adjusting to altitude can also help climbers.
Each time a person climbs to a higher altitude, he or she
rests for at least a day. The body has time to adjust to
the new conditions. This process is called acclimatization.
Given time, the body can even make more red blood
cells than usual to help carry oxygen.

Alan
Eustace

Joseph
Kittinger

Felix
Baumgartner

21
km

In 2012, skydiver Felix Baumgartner dove

39,000 meters (24 mi.). Kittinger was a
part of his support team. In 2014, Alan
Eustace beat Baumgartners record by 0
jumping from 41,425 meters (26 mi.).
km

Mount
Everest

Earths Atmosphere

Felix
Baumgartner

Climbers crossing a snow field

on Mount Lhotse in Nepal

sea level
Atmosphere and Climate Going Up!

High-Altitude Humans

The Death Zone

Some people have an easier time at high altitude. Their

bodies have special adaptations to the lower air pressure.

Some heights are dangerous for everyone. A few

mountains on Earth reach above 8,000 meters (26,250 ft.).
This is called the death zone. At this altitude, there is
simply no natural way to get enough oxygen from the air.
At sea level, people inhale about twenty times per minute.
At the top of Everest, hikers gasp for air about eighty-five
times a minute. They can become exhausted just trying
to breathe!

People in Tibet have been

living in high mountains
longer than any group of
people on Earth. They have
larger lungs than people at
sea level. Larger lungs help
them take in more oxygen.

a woman in Namche, Nepal

Some people in East Africa also live at high altitude. Their

bodies make more red blood cells to carry more oxygen
throughout their body. With larger lungs, they can also
take in more air with each breath than people who live
at sea level.

In part because
they live at high
altitude, some East
African people
are amazing longdistance runners.
Lelisa Desisa is from
Ethiopia. He won
the Boston Marathon
in 2015.

Climbers in the death zone also face extreme cold. As air

expands, it cools down. This causes the temperature to
drop as the elevation gets higher.
Despite the dangers, some people still venture to the
highest of heights. Some have even gone higher than
Mount Everest!

death zone

The peak of Mount Everest is above 8,000 meters and in the

death zone.
Atmosphere and Climate Going Up!