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Oxygen must diffuse through the cell membranes of the alveoli in the lungs. This diffusion depends upon the concentration gradient between the air in the lungs and the dissolved oxygen in the blood moving through the lung tissue. Air is only about 20% oxygen, so in order to load up the blood with oxygen, there must be lots of surface area for diffusion from the air.
To allow for huge amounts of oxygenated blood be diffused from the alveoli to a capillary network. and for CO2 to travel form the blood capillary network into the alveoli. The surface area is huge because massive amounts of O2 and CO2 are diffused each minute= around 6- 10 liters.

Whilst exercising you can use around 100 liters of oxygen per minute.
Human lungs have a large surface area so that gas exchange can take place more efficiently and effectively. Carbon dioxide must come out of the blood and into the inspired air while oxygen must be absorbed by the blood from that air. A larger surface area means more area (more places) for gas exchange to take place.
Alveoli in the lungs increase the overall surface area of the lungs, to encourage more diffusion to take place, so that a greater volume of oxygen / carbon dioxide can be transferred out of / into the lungs.
it need room for oxygen to travel in an out.

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9y ago
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14y ago

Inside each lung are millions of tiny sacs, called alveoli. These structures greatly increase the surface area of the lungs, which helps to maximise the volume of oxygen and carbon dioxide that diffuses to and from the lungs.

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Q: How is a large surface area achieved in the respiratory system?
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