PCO2

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/pco2

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the physiological role?Key regulator of respiration and acid-base balance in the blood
2. What is the units of measurement?Expressed in units of pressure such as mmHg, atm, torr, or Pa
3. What is PCO2 and why is it important for breathing?PCO2 is the pressure of carbon dioxide in the blood and air. It tells our body how much CO2 is in our cells and helps control how fast we breathe.
4. How does PCO2 affect our body’s pH and health?The amount of CO2 in the blood helps keep the blood’s pH balanced. Too much CO2 can make the blood too acidic, and too little can make it too alkaline, which can hurt our health.

Partial Pressure: The component of the total pressure of a gas mixture attributable to a single gas.
Acid-Base Balance: The physiological process that maintains the pH of the body's fluids within a narrow, optimal range.
Greenhouse Gas: A gas in the atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiant energy, causing the greenhouse effect.
Ocean Acidification: The ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of anthropogenic CO2.