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The Biosphere (ESPM 2) > Atmosphere Chemistry > Flashcards

Atmosphere Chemistry Flashcards

1
Q

The universe is mostly made up of…

A

Hydrogen

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2
Q

What are the most abundant elements in the universe?

A

Hydrogen and Helium

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3
Q

List sources and the sink of N2O.

A

Sources:

  • Nitrogen Cycle
  • Burning of fossil fuels

Sink: Destruction via reaction with O3

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4
Q

List sources and the sink of methane.

A

Sources:

  • Fermentation by methanogenic archaea in anaerobic climates (rice cultivation, wetlands, termites, cows)
  • Energy production
  • Burning of fossil fuels

Sinks:

  • Oxidation by OH
  • Methanotrophic bacteria in aerobic soil
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5
Q

List sources and sinks of CO2.

A

Sources:

  • Deforestation
  • Respiration
  • Volcanoes
  • Burning of fossil fuels
  • Cement production

Sinks:

  • Sedimentation
  • Ocean absorption/burial
  • Photosynthesis
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6
Q

What is a trace gas?

A

A gas which makes up less than 1% by volume of the Earth’s atmosphere, and it includes all gases except nitrogen (78.1%) and oxygen (20.9%).

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7
Q

What percentage of the atmosphere is nitrogen?

A

78.1%

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8
Q

What percentage of the atmosphere is oxygen?

A

20.9%

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9
Q

Why is CO2 such an effective greenhouse gas?

A

It absorbs long-wave, infrared radiation. This means that CO2 molecules will absorb the outgoing energy of the Earth then re-radiate it back to the surface and outward. This re-radiation of long-wave energy causes the temperature of the surface to be warmer than the radiative temperature of the planet, allowing for water to be liquid and for life to exist.

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10
Q

What could happen if there’s too much CO2?

A

The surface could be so hot that it could melt lead (like Venus).

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11
Q

What is the dominant sink of CO2?

A

Oceans

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12
Q

When are maximums and minimums of CO2 concentration and why?

A

Maximums of CO2 concentration are seen during interglacial periods while minimums are experienced during glacial periods. This is because land loses carbon during cooling.

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13
Q

What is fractionation?

A

A separation process in which a certain quantity of a mixture (gas, liquid, solid, isotope) is divided during a phase transition into a number of smaller quantities (fractions) into which the composition varies according to a gradient.

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14
Q

What does Mauna Loa tell us about CO2 concentration?

A

CO2 is increasing overtime. CO2 levels are lowest during Northern Hemisphere summers when the rate of photosynthesis outpaces sources, and are highest during Northern Hemisphere winters when the rate of photosynthesis is lower.

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15
Q

What is proof that fossil fuel combustion is changing the CO2 burden of our atmosphere?

A

Dilution of 13C/12C

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16
Q

What was CO2’s peak and minimum over the last 800,000 years?

A

280 ppm, 180 ppm

17
Q

What is ebullition?

A

Bubbles, an effective means of transport for methane

18
Q

What are two means of transport of methane?

A

Ebullition and mediated xylem transport

19
Q

When did the first notable build-up of oxygen occur?

A

The Archaean/Proterozoic Eras (though it made up less than 1% of the atmosphere)

20
Q

The maximum of oxygen concentration lines up with…

A

The evolution of vascular plants whose lignin was difficult to decompose and resulted in significant carbon burial in swamps and sediments.

21
Q

The elevated levels of oxygen of the carboniferous stage was associated with…

A

Gigantism in insects

22
Q

Why are elevated levels of oxygen during the carboniferous stage associated with gigantism in insects?

A

They can only breathe effectively through their surface, so they needed higher oxygen levels to overcome the surface to volume ratio that came with large size.

23
Q

How was early oxygen created (not cyanobacteria)?

A

Photolysis of water vapor and carbon dioxide by ultraviolet energy. It’s a slow process.

24
Q

Where is good ozone and why?

A

In the stratosphere; it absorbs high energy UV light and protects life from its effects (sunburn, cancer, mutations).

25
Q

Where is bad ozone and why?

A

In the troposphere; it’s unstable and reacts chemically with plants, rubber and the tissues of living creatures. Specifically, it stunts growth of plants and causes breathing problems.

26
Q

Detail the process of ozone destruction.

A

UV energy causes a chlorine atom to break away from a CFC molecule → The free chlorine atom pulls one oxygen atom away → The free oxygen atom hits the chlorine monoxide molecule (ClO) → The two oxygen atoms create dioxide and let the chlorine atom go free → The free chlorine atom continues to deplete stratospheric ozone

27
Q

Why is Susan Soloman important?

A

She is a UCB grad! Also, she was instrumental in discovering the mechanism for ozone destruction in the stratosphere in her studies in Antarctica. NASA thought the hole was an outlier in the performance of their instruments.

28
Q

Why did the ozone hole form in Antarctica?

A

Cold temperatures enable polar stratus clouds to form with small ice particles. These particles, confined in a polar vortex, become reservoirs for chlorine which build up during the long winter. With the first light of spring, UV rays break open the vortex and allow chlorine to run free and destroy ozone.

29
Q

What produces ozone?

A

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

30
Q

Why are VOCs important in physics?

A

They scatter light and act as cloud condensation nucleii.

31
Q

Why are VOCs important in chemistry?

A

They’re a reactant in ozone production.

32
Q

Why are VOCs important in biology?

A

They defend plants against pathogens and attract pollinators.

33
Q

Tell me about N2O.

A
  • Produced by microbes during denitrification
  • Strong greenhouse gas
  • Long atmospheric lifetime
  • Diffuses to stratosphere and participates in stratospheric ozone destruction
34
Q

Tell me about NOX.

A
  • Produced by fossil fuel combustion

- Participates in tropospheric ozone production

35
Q

Explain how radiation from the sun eventually warms up the Earth.

A

The sun emits shortwave energy (UV rays) that hit the Earth. The Earth reflects longwave energy back into the atmosphere. That energy is reflected back to the Earth’s surface by greenhouse gases, causing the surface of the Earth to stay warm.

36
Q

What are hydroxyl radicals (OH) a sink for?

A

Methane

37
Q

When methane and hydroxyl radicals interact, what does it form?

A

Water vapor and carbon dioxide

The Biosphere (ESPM 2) (4 decks)

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