Table 1: Approximate oxygen stores (by % of total oxygen) in various tissues for generic deep-diving marine mammals and humans. In reading this table, for example, 46% of the oxygen stored in an average human body
is stored in the lungs, 33% is stored in the blood, etc.
Tissue
Human
Deep-diving Odontocete
Deep-diving Phocid
Lungs
46%
9%
5%
Blood
33%
41%
58%
Muscle
11%
41%
28%
Other Organs
10%
9%
9%
Note: These are generic values and do not account for sex, species, and individual differences.
1. (5 pts) Use the table above and the following information to calculate how much oxygen is stored in
a 100 kg human body. Show all your work (you can take a picture of your handwritten notes and
paste it in, if you like). Hint: first calculate the amount of oxygen (ml) stored in the blood using the
information below, then extrapolate the amount stored in the entire body using the table above.
On average, humans are about 7% blood by weight
The average density of whole blood for humans is about 1,060 g/L
An average liter of human blood can carry about 200 ml of oxygen when saturated
.