C9: The Chemistry Of The Atmosphere Flashcards
What percentage of Nitrogen is in the air?
78%
What percentage of Oxygen is in the air?
20%
What percentage of Argon is in the air?
0.97%
What percentage of Carbon dioxide is in the air?
0.03%
What percentage of Water vapour is in the air?
0.4%
The atmosphere today(2):
- The proportions of gases in the atmosphere have stayed constant for 200 million years
- Water vapour amounts varied from (0-3%)
The Early Atmosphere(4):
- Intense volcanic activity that produced nitrogen
- When the oceans formed, carbon dioxide dissolved in the water
- Low oxygen
- Small proportions of methane and ammonia
Greenhouse Gases(4):
- Ozone
- Methane
- Carbon dioxide
- Water Vapour
How long was there no oxygen?
3 1/2 billion years
Carbon footprint
The total amaount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is emitted by a product service or event
Factors that reduce carbon footprint(4):
- Wasting less energy
- Carbon capture and storage
- Carbon taxes
- Use of Carbon-neutral products
What is the environmental effect of Sulfur dioxide on the atmosphere?
Acid rain
What is the product of incomplete combustion?
Carbon monoxide
What is the great Oxigynation event?
It refers to the period of time where the Cyano-bacteria produced oxygen
Cyano bacteria produced oxygen but it didn’t go into the atosphere straight away. where did it go?
It reacted and was captured by the iron in rocks wich produced iron oxide
Cyano bacteria produced oxygen but it didn’t go into the atosphere straight away. where did it go?(2):
- It reacted and was captured by the iron in rocks wich produced iron oxide
- Once all the oxygen was trapped, the excess oxygen entered the atmosphere
The atmosphere(definition):
The envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet
Atmospheric functions(3):
- Absorbs and interacts with harmful electromagnetic radiation
- Keeps the earth warm
- Protects from the suns rays
Fossil fuels(definition):
An unrenewable energy source that has been around for millions of years
What do all fossil fuels contain?(2):
- Carbon
- Hydrogen
Name 4 atmospheric pollutants:
- Carbon monoxide
- Methane
- Sulfur dioxide
- Particulates
Why do we not worry abot the amount of water vapour in the atosphere?
The water cycle removes ift from the atmosphere
Methane levels increase because…(2):
- Increased population leads to increased intensive farming
- Increased landfill and waste decomposition by bacteria
Carbon dioxide levels increase because of…(5):
- Complete combustion
- Respiration
- Fossil fuels
- Decomposition
- Deforrestation
Global Warming (definition):
Refers to the increase in the earth’s teperature
Activities that contribute to climate change(4):
- Fossil fuel combustion
- Vehicle emissions
- Deforrestation
- Improper waste management
What increases carbon dioxide in the sea?
Number of species in the sea that respire
Sustainability (definition):
The avoidance of depletion of natural resources in order to mantain an ecological balance in our global environment
Climate Change (definition):
When the temperature of the world around us changes incuding the temperature of the sea
Carbon monoxide:
High concentrations of gas can kill
Sulfur dioxide/ Oxides of nitrogen can cause(4):
- Resriction of the airways
- Damage to deep portion of lungs
- head aches
- nausea
Particulates can…(3):
- Aggravate lungs
- Causing asthma attacks
- Decreased lung function
What process increases the atmospheric concentration of Oxygen?
Photosynthesis
Photosynthetic organisms- The Rise of Oxygen in the Earth’s Atmosphere [3]:
- Algae were the first photosynthetic organisms to evolve. This happened about 2.5-2.7 billion years ago.
- Photosynthesising plants then began to evolve over the next billion years. This led to an ever-increasing rate of oxygen accumulating in the atmosphere.
- More complex life forms, such as animals, began to evolve once a threshold concentration of oxygen was reached.
Photosynthesis equation:
6CO₂ + 6H₂O = C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂
What are three factors that caused atmospheric carbon dioxide to decrease? [3]:
- The evolution of marine animals removed carbonates from the oceans as the animals used these to build their shells and skeletons.
- Carbon dioxide is one of the reactants of the equation for photosynthesis so, the photosynthetic action of algae and plants removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- The formation of oceans removed large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. qOnce dissolved in the oceans, some of this carbon dioxide reacted with seawater to give carbonate precipitates.
