Final answer:
The upper airway recovers heat and moisture lost during inspiration through the warming effect of capillaries and humidification by mucous membranes. Goblet cells produce mucus to trap particulates, which is moved by cilia toward the throat.
Step-by-step explanation:
The mucosal lining of the upper airway recovers the heat and moisture lost during inspiration primarily through the mechanisms involving the mucociliary escalator. As air passes through the nasal cavity, it is warmed to body temperature by the rich capillary networks underlying the respiratory epithelium and humidified by moisture from mucous membranes that secrete mucus high in water content. Mucus, produced by goblet cells within the respiratory epithelium, traps particulate matter and helps recover moisture for the airway during exhalation, while cilia move the mucus toward the throat to be swallowed, preventing inhaled contaminants from entering the lungs.