C13.2 - Our evolving atmosphere Flashcards
Scientists think that the early atmosphere of the Earth contained a great deal of what?
Scientists think that the early atmosphere of the Earth contained a great deal of carbon dioxide
Scientists think that the early atmosphere of the Earth contained a great deal of carbon dioxide.
Yet, how much carbon dioxide does the Earth’s atmosphere today have?
Yet, the Earth’s atmosphere today only has around 0.04% of this gas
Scientists think that the early atmosphere of the Earth contained a great deal of carbon dioxide.
Yet, the Earth’s atmosphere today only has around 0.04% of this gas.
Where has it all gone?
It has all gone mostly into:
- Living organisms
- Materials formed from living organisms
Scientists think that the early atmosphere of the Earth contained a great deal of carbon dioxide.
Yet, the Earth’s atmosphere today only has around 0.04% of this gas.
It has all gone mostly into living organisms and into materials formed from living organisms.
How did algae and plants decrease the percentage of carbon dioxide in the early atmosphere?
- Algae
- Plants
decreased the percentage of carbon dioxide in the early atmosphere by photosynthesis
What happens during photosynthesis?
During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide, along with water, is:
- Taken in by plants
- Converted to glucose and oxygen
Chemical formula for glucose
The chemical formula for glucose is C6H12O6
During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide, along with water, is taken in by plants and converted to glucose and oxygen.
Where can the carbon in the glucose then end up?
The carbon in the glucose can then end up in new plant material
During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide, along with water, is taken in by plants and converted to glucose and oxygen.
The carbon in the glucose can then end up in new plant material.
What happens when animals eat the plants?
When animals eat the plants, some of this carbon can be transferred to the animal tissues
When animals eat plants, some of the carbon from glucose in photosynthesis can be transferred to the animal tissues, including their skeletons and shells.
What happens over millions of years?
Over millions of years, the:
1. Skeletons
2. Shells
of huge numbers of these marine organisms built up at the bottom of vast oceans
When animals eat plants, some of the carbon from glucose in photosynthesis can be transferred to the animal tissues, including their skeletons and shells.
Over millions of years, the skeletons and shells of huge numbers of these marine organisms built up at the bottom of vast oceans.
What happened there?
There, they became covered with layer upon layer of fine sediment
When animals eat plants, some of the carbon from glucose in photosynthesis can be transferred to the animal tissues, including their skeletons and shells.
Over millions of years, the skeletons and shells of huge numbers of these marine organisms built up at the bottom of vast oceans.
There, they became covered with layer upon layer of fine sediment.
What happened under the pressure caused by being buried by all these layers of sediment?
Under the pressure caused by being buried by all these layers of sediment, eventually the deposits formed sedimentary rocks
Limestone
Limestone is a rock containing mainly calcium carbonate, CaCO3
There is clear fossil evidence in what of what?
There is clear fossil evidence in carbonate rocks of the organisms which lived millions of years ago
What happened to some of the remains of ancient living things (animals and plants)?
Some of the remains of ancient living things (animals and plants) were:
- Crushed by large-scale movements of the Earth
- Heated within the Earth’s crust over very long periods of time
Some of the remains of ancient living things (animals and plants) were crushed by large-scale movements of the Earth and were heated within the Earth’s crust over very long periods of time.
What did they form?
They formed the fossil fuels:
- Coal
- Crude oil
- Natural gas
What is coal classed as?
Coal is classed as a sedimentary rock
What was coal formed from?
Coal was formed from thick deposits of plant material
Coal was formed from thick deposits of plant material, such as ancient trees and ferns.
What happened when the plants died in swamps?
When the plants died in swamps, they were:
- Buried, in the absence of oxygen
- Compressed over millions of years
What was crude oil and natural gas formed from?
- Crude oil
- Natural gas
were formed from the remains of plankton deposited in muds on the seabed
Crude oil and natural gas were formed from the remains of plankton deposited in muds on the seabed.
These remains were what?
These remains were covered by sediments that became layers of rock when compressed over millions of years
Much of the carbon from the old carbon-dioxide rich atmosphere became what?
Much of the carbon from the old carbon-dioxide rich atmosphere became locked up within the Earth’s crust in:
- Rocks
- Fossil fuels
How was carbon dioxide also removed from the atmosphere, other than becoming locked up within the Earth’s crust in rocks and fossil fuels?
Other than by becoming locked up within the Earth’s crust in rocks and fossil fuels, carbon dioxide was also removed from the atmosphere, by dissolving in the water of the oceans
Other than by becoming locked up within the Earth’s crust in rocks and fossil fuels, carbon dioxide was also removed from the atmosphere, by dissolving in the water of the oceans.
It reacted with, for example, what?
It reacted with, for example, metal oxides
Carbon dioxide was also removed from the atmosphere, other than by becoming locked up within the Earth’s crust in rocks and fossil fuels, by dissolving in the water of the oceans.
It reacted with, for example, metal oxides and made insoluble carbonate compounds.
What did these do?
These insoluble carbonate compounds:
- Fell to the seabed as sediments
- Helped to form more carbonate rocks
Over the past 200 million years, what has happened to the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
Over the past 200 million years, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has not changed much
Over the past 200 million years, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has not changed much.
What is this due to?
This is due to the natural cycle of carbon in which carbon moves between:
- The oceans
- Rocks
- The atmosphere
Volcanoes produced carbon dioxide, water vapour and nitrogen.
What did nitrogen do?
Nitrogen gradually built up in the early atmosphere
Volcanoes produced carbon dioxide, water vapour and nitrogen.
Nitrogen gradually built up in the early atmosphere and there may have also been small proportions of methane and ammonia gases.
What did any methane and ammonia found in the Earth’s early atmosphere do?
Any:
1. Methane
2. Ammonia
found in the Earth’s early atmosphere reacted with the oxygen
Any methane and ammonia found in the Earth’s early atmosphere reacted with the oxygen, formed by the evolving algae and plants.
What did this do?
This removed the:
1. Methane
2. Ammonia
from the atmosphere
Any methane and ammonia found in the Earth’s early atmosphere reacted with the oxygen, formed by the evolving algae and plants.
This removed the methane and ammonia from the atmosphere.
However, what could build up?
The levels of nitrogen gas in the atmosphere could build up
Any methane and ammonia found in the Earth’s early atmosphere reacted with the oxygen, formed by the evolving algae and plants.
This removed the methane and ammonia from the atmosphere.
However, the levels of nitrogen gas in the atmosphere could build up.
Why could they build up?
The levels of nitrogen gas in the atmosphere could build up, because nitrogen is a very unreactive gas
What had happened by 200 million years ago?
By 200 million years ago, the proportions of gases in the Earth’s atmosphere had stabilised
By 200 million years ago, the proportions of gases in the Earth’s atmosphere had stabilised.
What were these the same as?
These were much the same as they are today
The relative proportion of nitrogen in the atmosphere today
The relative proportion of nitrogen in the atmosphere today is 78%
The relative proportion of oxygen in the atmosphere today
The relative proportion of oxygen in the atmosphere today is 21%
The relative proportion of argon in the atmosphere today
The relative proportion of argon in the atmosphere today is 0.9%
The relative proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today
The relative proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today is 0.04%
Other than nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide and trace amounts of other gases, the Earth’s atmosphere also contains what?
Other than: 1. Nitrogen 2. Oxygen 3. Argon 4. Carbon dioxide 5. Trace amounts of other gases ,the Earth's atmosphere also contains water vapour
Chemical formula of argon
The chemical formula of argon is Ar
What are all found in air?
The noble gases are all found in air
The noble gases are all found in air, with argon the most abundant at about 0.9%.
What do neon, krypton and xenon together make up?
- Neon
- Krypton
- Xenon
together make up less than 0.1% of clean, dry air
During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide, along with water, is taken in by plants and converted to glucose and oxygen.
The carbon in the glucose can then end up in new plant material.
When animals eat the plants, some of this carbon can be transferred to the animal tissues, including their what?
When animals eat the plants, some of this carbon can be transferred to the animal tissues, including their:
- Skeletons
- Shells
When animals eat plants, some of the carbon from glucose in photosynthesis can be transferred to the animal tissues, including their skeletons and shells.
Over millions of years, the skeletons and shells of huge numbers of these marine organisms built up at the bottom of vast oceans.
There, they became covered with layer upon layer of fine sediment.
Under the pressure caused by being buried by all these layers of sediment, eventually the deposits formed sedimentary rocks such as what?
Under the pressure caused by being buried by all these layers of sediment, eventually the deposits formed sedimentary rocks such as limestone
Coal was formed from thick deposits of plant material, such as what?
Coal was formed from thick deposits of plant material, such as ancient:
- Trees
- Ferns
Crude oil and natural gas were formed from the remains of plankton deposited in muds on the seabed.
These remains were covered by sediments that became layers of rock when compressed over millions of years.
The crude oil and natural gas formed is found where?
The:
1. Crude oil
2. Natural gas
formed is found trapped beneath these layers of rock
Other than by becoming locked up within the Earth’s crust in rocks and fossil fuels, carbon dioxide was also removed from the atmosphere, by dissolving in the water of the oceans.
It reacted with, for example, metal oxides and made what?
It:
- Reacted with, for example, metal oxides
- Made insoluble carbonate compounds
Volcanoes produced carbon dioxide, water vapour and nitrogen.
Nitrogen gradually built up in the early atmosphere and there may have also been small proportions of what gases?
Nitrogen gradually built up in the early atmosphere and there may have also been small proportions of:
1. Methane
2. Ammonia
gases
Volcanoes produced carbon dioxide, water vapour and nitrogen.
Nitrogen gradually built up in the early atmosphere and there may have also been small proportions of methane and ammonia gases.
Any methane and ammonia found in the Earth’s early atmosphere reacted with the oxygen, formed by what?
Any methane and ammonia found in the Earth’s early atmosphere reacted with the oxygen, formed by the evolving:
- Algae
- Plants
Other than nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide and trace amounts of other gases, the Earth’s atmosphere also contains water vapour, but what?
Other than: 1. Nitrogen 2. Oxygen 3. Argon 4. Carbon dioxide 5. Trace amounts of other gases ,the Earth's atmosphere also contains water vapour, but the percentage in the atmosphere varies
The noble gases are all found in air, with what the most abundant at about 0.9%?
The noble gases are all found in air, with argon the most abundant at about 0.9%
