Death Valley in California is 86 m below sea level. Will the partial pressure of oxygen in Death Valley be the same, lower or higher than the partial pressure of oxygen at sea level?
A. higher
B. impossible to tell without additional information
C. the same
in general; the lower the elevation, the higher the atmospheric pressure
but the pressure (barometric) varies with weather conditions
B might be the best answer for this somewhat ambiguous question
Note that the question gives three choices but the answer choices are not the same.
Pressure goes down as you ascend so .......
Yes I agree, because when I answered "lower" it was incorrect...thank you for your feedback! :)
To determine whether the partial pressure of oxygen in Death Valley is the same, lower, or higher than at sea level, we need to understand the relationship between atmospheric pressure and altitude.
Atmospheric pressure decreases as we go higher in altitude. This is because the weight of the air above decreases with increasing altitude. Generally, atmospheric pressure at sea level is considered to be around 101.3 kilopascals (kPa), which can also be expressed as units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg) or atmosphere (atm).
When it comes to partial pressure, it represents the contribution of a specific gas to the overall atmospheric pressure. The partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) at sea level is around 21% of the total atmospheric pressure. So, at sea level, where the atmospheric pressure is roughly 101.3 kPa, the partial pressure of oxygen is approximately 21% of that value.
Now, let's consider Death Valley, which is situated 86 meters below sea level. As we move higher in altitude, atmospheric pressure decreases. Therefore, it is safe to say that since Death Valley is below sea level, the atmospheric pressure there will be higher than at sea level.
With higher atmospheric pressure in Death Valley, the partial pressure of oxygen will also be higher compared to sea level. This means that the oxygen molecules will still contribute around 21% of the overall atmospheric pressure, but that pressure will be higher due to the increased atmospheric pressure.
Therefore, the correct answer is A. higher.