What happens to air pressure and the amount of oxygen as the altitude increases in Earth’s atmosphere?(1 point)
Air pressure and oxygen percentage decrease as altitude increases.
As the altitude increases in Earth's atmosphere, both the air pressure and the amount of oxygen decrease. Here's a step-by-step explanation:
1. Air Pressure: Air pressure is the force exerted by the weight of the atmosphere on a given area. As you go higher in the atmosphere, the weight of the air above you decreases, resulting in lower air pressure. This is because the gravitational force pulling the air molecules towards the Earth's surface decreases with increasing altitude.
2. Oxygen Concentration: The atmosphere is composed of various gases, and oxygen is one of them. The concentration of oxygen remains relatively constant in the lower regions of the atmosphere, including the troposphere (the lowest layer). However, as you ascend to higher altitudes, the amount of oxygen remains the same but becomes less dense. This means that the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere remains constant, but there are fewer oxygen molecules per unit volume.
In summary, as altitude increases in Earth's atmosphere, both air pressure and the amount of oxygen decrease.
As the altitude increases in Earth's atmosphere, both air pressure and the amount of oxygen decrease. This is because the weight of the air above decreases with increasing altitude. To understand this phenomenon, we need to consider the structure of the atmosphere.
The Earth's atmosphere is divided into several layers, with the troposphere being the closest to the surface. In the troposphere, which extends up to about 7-20 kilometers (4-12 miles) depending on location, most of our weather occurs. This is also where we live and where the majority of the Earth's air mass is contained.
Air pressure is the force exerted by the weight of the air above a given point. As altitude increases, there are fewer air molecules above, and therefore the weight of the air column decreases. This leads to a decrease in air pressure. For every 100 meters (328 feet) increase in altitude, air pressure decreases by about 1 percent.
Regarding the amount of oxygen, it follows a similar pattern to air pressure. Oxygen is one of the main components of Earth's atmosphere, accounting for about 21 percent of its composition. However, the percentage does not change significantly with altitude. Instead, the decrease in oxygen concentration at higher altitudes is due to the decrease in air density.
Overall, as you travel to higher altitudes, you will experience a decrease in both air pressure and the amount of oxygen available, which can have implications for human activity and physiology.