Chemistry of the atmosphere Flashcards
What were the first billion years on the surface of the earth like?
It was covered in volcanoes.
What was in the early atmosphere?
Carbon dioxide mostly with hardly any oxygen. It had small amounts of nitrogen, water vapour and ammonia.
What caused the atmosphere to be like it was?
Volcanoes that released a lot of gases.
How were oceans formed and what did this do to carbon dioxide?
Water vapour condensed to form oceans and these oceans removed carbon dioxide as it dissolved in the sea.
What was formed from the carbon dissolving in the oceans?
Carbon precipitates formed the seabed and sediment.
What are fossil fuels?
When plants and plankton died they fell to the seabed and were buried to form sedimentary rocks that trapped carbon dioxide underneath. This process forms crude oil and natural gas so they are called fossil fuels.
What are the names of some sedimentary rocks?
Coal and limestone
Why were green plants and algae important for this current atmosphere?
They took in carbon dioxide when photosynthesizing and turned it into oxygen. This meant that oxygen levels went up and co2 levels went down meaning life could grow.
What is the current composition of the atmosphere?
80% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, <1% carbon dioxide, noble gases and water vapor
What are greenhouse gases?
Carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour are some.
What is the greenhouse effect?
Greenhouse gases absorb certain wavelengths of radiation - so they don’t absorb the short wavelengths from the sun but they do radiate the long wavelength radiation back to the earth (and in all directions). This acts as an insulating layer around the earth.
Why is the greenhouse effect important?
The trapped radiation results in the warming of the earth keeping it enough to survive.
What human activity increases greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
Deforestation takes away trees that photosynthesize.
Burning fossil fuels. In agriculture, farm animals release methane. Creating waste leads to co2 and methane being released by decomposition.
What is climate change?
As there are more gases in the atmosphere that are slowly increasing the temperature of the earth. Climate change refers to the aftermath of this and the variety of changes that could come with it.
What are some consequences of climate change?
Rising sea levels due to polar ice caps melting. Changes in rainfall patterns could mean too little or much water. Storms severity and frequency. The temperature could affect animals and their habitat.
