Chemistry Of The Atmosphere Flashcards
What was the early atmosphere like?
Volcanoes releasing lots of carbon dioxide, water vapour, smaller amounts of methane and ammonia
What reduced the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere?
Water vapour cooled and condensed to form oceans
What reduced the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
As oceans formed, carbon dioxide dissolved in them.
Also the formation of sedimentary rocks
…
Carbon dioxide+water—>glucose+ oxygen
What increased the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere?
Gradual evolution of photosynthesis in plants and algae,
The oxygen helped to form the ozone layer, filtering harmful rays from sun
3 greenhouse gases-
Maintain temperature to support life
Water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane
Gases need to reduce to reduce carbon footprint?
Methane, carbon dioxide
What are some effects of climate change?
Sea level rise
ocean acidification(more co2 absorbed in oceans)
warming oceans (heat from greenhouse gases)
Shrinking ice caps
Extreme weather events
Actions to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and methane (reduce carbon footprint)
Eating less beef
Using biofuels
Less waste to landfill, recycle more
Tax on polluting vehicles
Why are actions limited?
Climate change is a global issue, so it’s difficult to get all nations to agree to make major changes needed
Expensive technology
Scientific disagreement
Gases released into atmosphere when a fuel is burned
Carbon dioxide, water vapour, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides
Why are particulates- solid particles of carbon (soot) bad?
If inhaled, can cause respiratory problems
Can create dark clouds (smog) which reflects sunlight back into space, less light reaches earth (global dimming)
Why is carbon monoxide dangerous?
If we breathe it in, it diffuses into our blood and binds to Haemoglobin, so haemoglobin can carry less oxygen, so less oxygen transported around the body
Colourless+ odourless so hard to detect
Why is sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides bad?
If breathed in, damage lungs and cause respiratory problems
As these gases mix with clouds, they dissolve to form dilute sulphuric acid/dilute nitric acid, falls as acid rain; which damages buildings, corrodes metals, damages plants(soil acidic)
