Chemistry - Chemistry of the Atmosphere Flashcards
Roughly how old is the planet Earth
Around 4.6 billion years old
What percentage of the air does Nitrogen now make up
Around 80%
What percentage of the air does Oxygen now make up
Around 20%
What gases contribute less than one percent of the earths atmosphere
Carbon Dioxide and Argon
In the first billion years the gases that formed Earths early atmosphere cam mainly from which source
Volcanic activity
During the first billion years, which gases were released from volcanoes
Water vapour , carbon dioxide and small amounts of methane and ammonia
What happened to water vapour when the earth began to cool
The water vapour condensed into liquid water and formed the oceans
What happened to the carbon dioxide when the oceans formed
Carbon dioxide dissolved in the water and carbonates were precipitated, producing sediments.
How did the cooling of the earth effect the levels of gases in the atmosphere
Dramatically reduced the amounts of water vapour and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Starting 2.7 billion years ago, which process started to increase the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere, and further decreased tge amount of carbon dioxide
Photosynthesis by plants and algae
What happened to carbon as photosynthetic organisms such as plants and algae began to die
The carbon they contained became trapped in sedimentary rocks and fossil fuels
What happened to the seabed when plants animals and marine life died
The organisms would fall to the seabed and get buried by layers pf sediments. Over billions of years they became compressed and form sedimentary rocks, oil and gas
What is the atmosphere
a layer of gases surrounding the Earth that is held in place by gravity
Name the greenhouses gases
Methane
Carbon dioxide
Water vapour
Describe the greenhouse effect
Solar radiation from the sun passes through the atmosphere and hits the earth. Some of the energy is reflected straight back towards space, and some of it is absorbed by the earth and the re-emitted towards space. Some of the energy makes it all the way to space, but much of it is absorbed by small molecules called greenhouse gases. These molecules then reemit the energy and the whole process of absorption and emission happens over and over again. This trapped energy keeps the atmosphere warmer and more stable than it otherwise would be
How are global warming and climate change different?
Global warming refers to the overall increase in the Earth’s temperature where as climate change is a a consequence of global warming and refers to the effects on the climate, such as large-scale shifts in weather patterns.
What is one affect of global warming
The melting of the icecaps. This will increase the volume of water in the ocean and could lead to seasonal flooding, or the submersion of entire islands. This is made worse by the fact that water expands when it is heated, so it will also increase in volume.
What’s the difference between the climate and weather?
Weather refers to short term atmospheric conditions, like whether it’s raining or sunny on a particular day where as climate describes the typical weather conditions in an entire region for a very long time.
What is the carbon footprint
The amount of greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a product, service or event
Factors you would need to take into account when calculating carbon footprint
- The manufacturing process
- How it’s disposed of
- How all the raw materials were sourced
General ways we can reduce the carbon footprint of a product
-Create it using fewer, or more sustainable, raw materials
-Use a more efficient manufacturing process (e.g. less energy or less waste)
-Use renewable energy resources (e.g. wind, solar, or nuclear)
-Recycle it, rather than disposing of it in landfill
Why is it hard to use more renewable energy resources, rather than fossil fuels?
Renewable energy resources are more expensive
Many of our existing products require greenhouse gasses
Pro and con of carbon capture technology
Allows us to trap carbon and store it deep underground. But it is very expensive
Equation for the complete combustion of hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbon + oxygen ———> carbon dioxide + water
