chemistry of the atmosphere Flashcards
what is the percentage proportion of gases in our current atmosphere
80% nitrogen
20% oxygen
small percent other
describe earths early atmosphere
a ball of molten rock, with intense volcanic activity causing there to be a lot of water vapour and carbon dioxide in the air
how were oceans formed in earths early atmosphere
water vapour from erupting volcanoes, condensed into water creating huge pools of water
how was there a decrease in carbon dioxide in the earths early atmosphere
- carbon dioxide dissolved in the water that was condensed from the water vapour where it formed carbon precipitates and become sediments in the sea bed
- when plants died, and fell to the seabed and became buried in layers of sediment. it became suppressed forming sedimentary rock, oil and gasses. trapping the carbon stopping it from being released back into atmosphere
how did algae and green plants contribute to the increase in oxygen and decrease in carbon dioxide
able to photosynthesise therefore taking in the co2 but produces oxygen over hundreds of thousands of years
using the greenhouse effect to help, explain how our earth is kept at a desirable temperature
short waves of the suns radiation pass through our atmosphere, bouncing of earth. some is absorbed and heats earth, some is reflected back toward space and some of it is re emitted. when it passes back through the atmosphere, it collides with gasses which absorb the energy before re - emitting it. this process continues all the time maintaining the suns radiation in our atmosphere
what are the greenhouse gasses
carbon dioxide, methane, water
how are humans affecting the natural processes of the greenhouse effect
as we are releasing more of the greenhouse gasses (methane and carbon dioxide) they are becoming more concentrated. this causes the heat to increase as there are more gasses to absorb and re - emit the radiation
what are some human activities that contribute to an increase in the greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere
burning fossil fuels cause more Carbon dioxide to be released after being trapped within the fuel
deforestation means less photosynthesis is occurring
farm animals produce methane
produce huge amounts of waste which releases methane when decomposes
define climate change
the effect that global warming has on the long term weather effects of our planet
what are some consequences of climate change that we have observed
more common and extreme weather - draughts/ hurricanes/ floods
sea level rising - high temp melting ice - water in oceans warming and then expanding
how will climate change effect species and organisms
organisms that have already adapted to their current environment may not be able to survive if they cant migrate biodiversity will fall
what is a carbon footprint
the total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses that are emitted over somethings lifecycle
what are the benefits and costs of keeping track of somethings carbon footprint
- see how environmentally damaging something is - decide weather they are worth the cost
- identify the most polluting activity and reduce their emissions
- extremely difficult to track some products carbon footprint (many different factors)
how can we reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere
use renewable energy instead of fossil fuels - wind/solar/ tidal etc - its expensive
use more efficient manufacturing processes - use less energy and produce less waste
governments introduce new laws and tax companies
caption capture technology - carbon stored deep underground
being responsible for your own carbon footprint
