Altitude refers to height above sea level and is divided into multiple regions. Humans struggle to survive at high altitudes due to thinning oxygen. Altitude affects cooking times and temperatures, and high-altitude foods require special instructions.
Altitude is also known as height, and is often used to refer to height above sea level. The world is divided into multiple regions of altitude, from the lowest point near the ground and the highest point near the uppermost layer of the earth’s atmosphere. It is difficult for humans to survive at very high altitudes and impossible at certain altitudes. Also, food must be cooked according to special instructions due to the effect of altitude on cooking times and cooking temperatures.
Many people mean land above sea level when referring to the altitude of a place. Elevation is a better term for this, however, because altitude isn’t limited to that definition. It takes on different meanings depending on the context; for example, aviation altitudes are very different from those mentioned in a sports game.
Earth’s atmosphere is divided into five altitude regions, with the troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere being closest to the ground. Thermosphere and exosphere are higher than the previous three. The stratosphere is 31 miles (50 kilometers) above the ground and can commonly be heard in sayings such as “He hit the ball out of the stratosphere,” meaning someone hit a ball far enough.
At very high altitudes, a person’s heart rate quickens and their breathing is faster. This effect is usually experienced severely by climbers because oxygen becomes thinner the higher you go. After a certain point, a climber must have additional oxygen in a tank to survive because there is no longer enough oxygen to keep the brain alive. Millions of people experience a mild form of altitude sickness each year due to the speed with which humans can travel from low altitude to high altitude in vehicles. Mild cases can usually be overcome by allowing the body to adjust to the higher elevation, but some people don’t get over altitude sickness until they return to an elevation their body is used to.
In general, high altitude refers to locations above mean sea level. Many people live in high altitude areas of the world, but the slightly lower oxygen level and higher atmospheric pressure affect the cooking time and temperature of food. Also, water boils faster at higher altitudes and evaporates faster. Many raw and prepared foods have label instructions specifically meant for people cooking high-altitude foods, but you may need to research the temperature and cooking time of some foods.
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