![]() ![]() It can take days and even weeks for a body to adjust to high altitude and low air pressure. One normal effect of altitude is shortness of breath, since the lungs have to work harder to deliver oxygen to the bloodstream. Decreased air pressure means that less oxygen is available for breathing. The human body struggles in high altitudes. Air expands as it rises, and the fewer gas molecules-including nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide-have fewer chances to bump into each other. High-altitude locations are usually much colder than areas closer to sea level. This is what meteorologists and mountaineers mean by "thin air." Thin air exerts less pressure than air at a lower altitude. As altitude increases, the amount of gas molecules in the air decreases-the air becomes less dense than air nearer to sea level. Earth's gravity pulls air as close to the surface as possible. In other words, if the indicated altitude is high, the air pressure is low. ![]() This is called indicated altitude, and is measured by an instrument called an altimeter.Īs altitude rises, air pressure drops. In fact, aviators and mountaineers can measure their altitude by measuring the air pressure around them. All 1.2 million residents live about 4,150 meters (13,615 feet) above sea level.Īltitude is related to air pressure. The urban area of El Alto, Bolivia, is the highest-altitude city on Earth. Mount Everest is 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) tall. The most high-altitude point on Earth is Mount Everest, in the Himalayan mountain range on the border of Nepal and the Chinese region of Tibet. Areas are often considered "high-altitude" if they reach at least 2,400 meters (8,000 feet) into the atmosphere. Altitude, like elevation, is the distance above sea level. ![]()
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