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GCSE Chemistry > Chemistry Of The Atmosphere > Flashcards

Chemistry Of The Atmosphere Flashcards

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1
Q

Roughly how old is the Earth?

A

4.6 billion years old

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2
Q

Percentage of Nitrogen in today’s atmosphere

A

Around 80%

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3
Q

Percentage of Oxygen in today’s atmosphere

A

Around 20%

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4
Q

Other gases in the the atmosphere and their percentage

A
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Water Vapour
  • Argon
  • Noble Gases
  • Less than 1%
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5
Q

Early Atmosphere Formation
(The First 1 Billion Years)

A
  • Early atmosphere was mostly CO2 (similar to Mars and Venus’ atmosphere today)
  • Volcano eruptions released water vapour, nitrogen and small amounts of methane and ammonia into the atmosphere
  • Water vapour condensed, forming oceans and CO2 dissolved in it to form carbonate precipitate
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6
Q

How did Oxygen in the atmosphere increase?
(2.7 Billion Years Ago)

A
  • Algae and plants evolved and
    photosynthesised
  • They took in CO2, releasing O2
  • CO2 levels decreased, O2 levels increased allowing complex life forms (animals) to
    evolve
  • Plants and algae died and got trapped in sediment layers
  • Sediment eventually compressed (due to pressure) and became sedimentary rock, oil and gas
  • This trapped carbon in the layers
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7
Q

How did crude oil and natural gas form?

A

From dead plankton

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8
Q

How did coal (sedimentary rock) form?

A

From dead plant matter

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9
Q

How did limestone (sedimentary rock) form?

A

From the calcium carbonate precipitate formed when the CO2 dissolved in the oceans

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10
Q

Greenhouse Gases

A

Maintain temperatures on Earth high enough to support life on Earth

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11
Q

What are the Greenhouse Gases?

A
  • Water Vapour
  • Methane
  • CO2
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12
Q

The Greenhouse Effect

A
  • Sun’s energy is radiated in short wavelengths
  • Passes through the atmosphere hitting the Earth’s surface
  • Some is absorbed, some is reemitted in long wavelengths
  • Most of the remission hits gas particles that reemit and absorb the energy again and again
  • This keeps the Earth warm as the energy doesn’t leave the atmosphere
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13
Q

The Problem of the Greenhouse Effect

A
  • Human activities increase the concentration of CO2 and methane in the atmosphere
  • Greenhouse effect increases, causing global warming
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14
Q

2 Main Reasons for Global Warming

A
  • Increase in burning fossil fuels that release carbon
  • Deforestation so less trees for photosynthesis to take in CO2
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15
Q

Climate Change

A
  • Effects of global warming
  • Leads to the alteration of long term weather patterns on the planet
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16
Q

Why are the consequences of global warming harder to know?

A
  • Lots of variable to take into account for climate change
  • Scientists can’t make models or clear predictions of what will happen next
17
Q

Examples of Climate Change

A
  • Sea Level Rises (ice caps melt, temperature increase expands water increasing volume)
  • Rare weather events (droughts, hurricanes, floods) become more frequent and severe
  • Habitats will change and animals in those habitats won’t adapt quickly enough, endangering them
18
Q

Carbon Footprint

A

The total amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a product, a service or an event

19
Q

Benefits of measuring Carbon Footprints

A
  • Have an idea of how environmentally damaging something is
  • Able to decide whether something is worth the cost
  • Able to identify the activities that produce the most carbon emissions
20
Q

Problem with measuring Carbon Footprints

A

Can be difficult as many factors have to be taken into account:
- How materials were sourced
- Transportation of materials
- Manufacturing Process
- Lifetime power usage
- Disposal

21
Q

Ways to decrease Carbon Footprint

A
  • Use renewable energy sources
  • Use more efficient manufacturing processes
  • Governments can introduce new laws and taxes for carbon emitting companies
  • Carbon Capture Technology
  • Recycling
22
Q

Why is reducing emission so difficult?

A
  • Renewable energy is more expensive than fossil fuels
  • Entire economies are based in fossil fuels
  • More expensive lifestyle for individuals
23
Q

Incomplete Combustion of Hydrocarbons

A

Hydrocarbon + Oxygen –> Carbon monoxide + Particulates (Soot)

24
Q

Problems with Particulates

A
  • Cause respiratory problems
  • Create smog which reflects sunlight, causing global dimming
25
Q

Problems with Carbon Monoxide (CO)

A
  • CO binds to haemoglobin so less oxygen is carried round the body
  • CO is colourless and odourless so is hard to detect
26
Q

Production of Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides

A
  • SO2 is produced when impure hydrocarbons are burnt and the sulfur in them is oxidised
  • Nitrogen oxides are produced when nitrogen reacts with oxygen (from air)
27
Q

Problems with Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides

A
  • Cause respiratory problems
  • React with water in the clouds to produce acid rain that damages buildings and plants

GCSE Chemistry (7 decks)

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