C13: The Earth's Atmosphere Flashcards
What percentage of the Earth’s atmosphere is nitrogen and oxygen?
80% is nitrogen and 20% is oxygen
What did volcanic activity cause?
Lots of carbon dioxide, water vapour and nitrogen, and small amounts of methane and ammonia
How were the oceans formed?
Water vapour condensing
How did carbon dioxide decrease?
Algae needing it for photosynthesis, therefore increasing the amount of oxygen
How was sedimentary rock, oil and gas help reduce carbon dioxide?
They captured it
What else is limestone made of?
Calcium carbonate
What are the 2 main reasons for the rise of carbon dioxide levels?
The burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, so less photosynthesis
What are the 2 main reasons for the rise of methane levels?
Farm animals releasing it and huge amounts of waste releasing this.
What is climate change?
All of the effects of global warming
What are the consequences of global warming?
Floods, hurricanes and droughts as well as sea level rise
What causes the increase of sea level rise
Ice melting and increase in volume, leading to seasonal flooding and submerging of lands
What is a carbon footprint?
The total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted over something’s entire life cycle
What are benefits of knowing the carbon footprint
It shows how environmentally damaging they are and can identify the most polluting activities to reduce emission
What is a disadvantage of measuring the carbon footprint?
It is hard to do so
How can emissions be reduced?
Using renewable energy, use more efficient manufacturing process, which uses less energy and therefore less waste. Governments can create new laws and lastly carbon capture technology
