How do altitude and heat affect performance, and how do athletes prepare for them?
The effects of altitude on oxygen availability and aerobic performance, the effects of heat and humidity on thermoregulation, and the acclimatisation and strategies used to cope with each.
A focused answer to OCR A-Level PE on environmental effects: how altitude lowers the partial pressure of oxygen and impairs aerobic performance, how heat and humidity stress thermoregulation and hydration, and the acclimatisation, altitude-training models and cooling strategies athletes use to cope.
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What this dot point is asking
OCR wants you to explain how altitude reduces aerobic performance, how heat and humidity stress thermoregulation and hydration, and the acclimatisation, altitude-training models and cooling strategies athletes use to cope.
Altitude and oxygen availability
Altitude acclimatisation and training
Heat, humidity and thermoregulation
Coping with heat
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR 20194 marksExplain why aerobic performance is reduced at altitude and how altitude training could benefit an endurance athlete competing at sea level.Show worked answer →
A Component 01 Section B application question. Marks for the cause of reduced performance and the benefit on return to sea level.
Award marks for: at altitude the partial pressure of oxygen in the air is lower (the air is thinner), so the diffusion gradient from the alveoli to the blood is reduced and haemoglobin is less fully saturated; less oxygen reaches the muscles, so aerobic performance (such as a distance race) is impaired. In response to the hypoxic environment the body produces more EPO, stimulating the production of red blood cells and raising haemoglobin and haematocrit. On returning to sea level, where the partial pressure of oxygen is normal, the athlete has greater oxygen-carrying capacity, so aerobic performance can improve for a window of a few weeks.
Markers reward linking the lower partial pressure to a smaller diffusion gradient, and the EPO-driven rise in red blood cells to the sea-level benefit.
OCR 20228 marksAnalyse the effects of competing in hot, humid conditions on a marathon runner and evaluate the strategies they could use to cope.Show worked answer →
A Component 01 extended-response (levels of response) question. Markers reward accurate thermoregulation (AO1), application to the marathon (AO2) and a reasoned evaluation of strategies (AO3).
Award credit for: in the heat the body must lose heat, mainly by sweating and evaporation; in high humidity, sweat evaporates poorly, so cooling fails and core temperature rises towards hyperthermia. Heavy sweating reduces plasma volume, lowering stroke volume and forcing heart rate up (cardiovascular drift), so pace falls and the risk of heat illness rises. Strategies include heat acclimatisation beforehand (training in the heat for one to two weeks increases sweat rate, lowers sweat sodium and expands plasma volume), a deliberate hydration plan with electrolytes during the race, pre-cooling (ice vests, cold drinks) before the start, pacing more conservatively, and wearing light, breathable clothing. A reasoned answer judges that acclimatisation plus a hydration plan are the most effective, since they tackle both the thermoregulatory and the fluid problems.
A top answer links humidity to failed evaporative cooling, explains the fall in performance via plasma volume, and weighs the strategies to a conclusion.
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Sources & how we know this
- OCR A Level Physical Education (H555) specification — OCR (2016)