Ball Arena sits 5,280 feet above sea level, creating a physical advantage for the Colorado Avalanche. At higher elevations, lower barometric pressure spreads oxygen molecules farther apart, reducing the effective oxygen percentage in each breath. In Denver, the effective oxygen ratio drops to about 17 percent instead of 20.9 percent at sea level. Lower oxygen availability can cause hypoxia, where tissues do not receive enough oxygen to function normally. The body compensates by producing more hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to tissues. This adaptation helps people maintain performance despite reduced oxygen intake.
"Ball Arena is located a whopping 5,280 feet above sea level, a geography that gives the powerhouse Avalanche a real physical advantage. Although air is made up of 20.9 percent oxygen at all elevations, the effective percentage of oxygen—that is, the amount of oxygen in each breath someone takes—changes with altitude. At sea level, the barometric pressure compresses oxygen molecules closer together, so it feels like we're getting the full 20.9 percent of oxygen in the air we breathe at this elevation."
"The higher you go, the less pressure there is, which results in more space between the molecules and less oxygen in every breath you take. In Denver, the effective ratio of oxygen in the air drops down to around 17 percent. While that might sound like a disadvantage, humans are adaptable, says Martin MacInnis, an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Calgary."
"Tissues that don't receive enough oxygen don't perform nominally. They enter a state called hypoxia, which prompts the body to compensate by producing more hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that is responsible for carrying oxygen around the body's tissues. This compensation supports oxygen delivery when oxygen availability per breath is reduced at altitude."
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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