Chemistry of the Atmosphere (C9)

Question 1

What gasses are present in the atmosphere today?

Answer 1

Oxygen
Nitrogen
Carbon Dioxide
Water Vapour
Argon (and other noble gassses)

Question 2

What percentage of the atmosphere today is nitrogen?

Answer 2

78%

Question 3

What percentage of the atmosphere today is oxygen?

Answer 3

21%

Question 4

For how long have the gasses in our atmosphere been constant?

Answer 4

About 200 million years

Question 5

How old is the earth?

Answer 5

About 4.6 billion years
(4600000000)
(4.6X10^9)

Question 6

What contributed to the gasses in the early atmosphere?

Answer 6

Volcanoes (water vapour, carbon dioxide and nitrogen)

Question 7

How did oceans form?

Answer 7

Water vapour cooled

Question 8

Which planets did the Earth’s early atmosphere seem similar to?

Answer 8

Mars

Venus

Question 9

What did volcanoes release?

Answer 9

Water Vapour
Carbon Dioxide
Nitrogen
Methane
Ammonia

Question 10

What was the main gas in the early atmosphere?

Answer 10

Almost purely Carbon Dioxide and a bit of Nitrogen

Question 11

Why did levels of CO2 fall in the early atmosphere?

Answer 11

As oceans formed CO2 dissolved into them (forming a weak acid)
Over time, this formed sediments of carbonate rock to form on the sea bed
Some carbon dioxide was also used to make corals and shells for organisms

Question 12

What do corals and the shells of organisms form when they die?

Answer 12

Limestone

Question 13

How did oxygen first form in the atmosphere?

Answer 13

Photosynthetic algae evolved (and then plants and animals)

Question 14

When did oxygen begin to form in the atmosphere?

Answer 14

2.7 Billion years ago

Question 15

How did algae effect the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere?

Answer 15

Lowered it as photosynthesis takes in CO2 as a reactant

Question 16

How long do fossil fuels take to form?

Answer 16

Millions of years

Question 17

What is meant by the term non-renewable?

Answer 17

If we continue to use the resource we will eventually exhaust all the sources

Question 18

What does coal form from?

Answer 18

Remains of ferns and trees

Question 19

What conditions are needed for ferns and trees not to decompose?

Answer 19

Marshy wetlands

Question 20

What may cause ferns and trees not to decompose?

Answer 20

Lack of oxygen or acidic conditions

Question 21

What conditions are needed to form coal?

Answer 21

High temperature and Pressure

Question 22

What does crude oil form from?

Answer 22

Plankton

Question 23

What conditions are needed for plankton not to decompose?

Answer 23

No oxygen present

Question 24

What conditions are needed to form crude oil?

Answer 24

Crude oil

Question 25

What does natural gas form from?

Answer 25

Plankton

Question 26

What is the main hydrocarbon in natural gas?

Answer 26

Methane

Question 27

Which two fossil fuels form in the most similar way?

Answer 27

Natural gas and crude oil

Question 28

What are the three fossil fuels?

Answer 28

Coal Natural gas Crude oil

Question 29

What do all fossil fuels contain?

Answer 29

Trapped carbon

Question 30

How do fossil fuels end up with carbon?

Answer 30

It was in the carbon dioxide the organism took in from photosynthesis

Question 31

What percentage of the atmosphere is water vapour?

Answer 31

It is variable depending on temperature

Question 32

What percentage of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide?

Answer 32

0.04%

Question 33

What percentage of the atmosphere is methane?

Answer 33

0.0002%

Question 34

Name 3 Greenhouse Gasses

Answer 34

Methane Carbon Dioxide Water Vapour

Question 35

What type of radiation travels towards Earth?

Answer 35

Short Wave-length

Question 36

What happens to short-wave radiation?

Answer 36

Some is reflected by the atmosphere but most enters it easily and is absorbed

Question 37

Why does short-length radiation generally pass through the atmosphere?

Answer 37

It does not interact with the gasses in it

Question 38

What does the Earth do when it absorbs short wave-length radiation?

Answer 38

Radiates the energy as long wave-length radiation

Question 39

What happens to long wave-length radiation in the atmosphere?

Answer 39

Some leaves, some reacts with the greenhouse gasses and this causes the energy to become trapped

Question 40

What happens when energy is trapped in the atmosphere?

Answer 40

It warms up

Question 41

Why is the greenhouse effect necessary?

Answer 41

It keeps the Earth warm enough for life to be sustained

Question 42

What makes CO2 levels increase?

Answer 42

Burning fossil fuels and deforestation

Question 43

What makes methane levels increase?

Answer 43

Cows Farting | Rice Paddy Fields

Question 44

Effects of Climate Change

Answer 44

Melting Ice caps More severe weather Chang distribution of insects and their diseases Forces Animals to move

Question 45

Why do scientists subject their findings to peer review?

Answer 45

Detect False Claims

Question 46

Why is it so difficult to create accurate models for climate change?

Answer 46

Too complex

Question 47

What is a carbon footprint?

Answer 47

The total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses emitted over the full life cycle of a product, service or event

Question 48

What events greatly increase carbon foot prints?

Answer 48

Heating homes Driving Cars Generating Electricity

Question 49

How can we lower emissions produced by heating homes?

Answer 49

Less warm | More insulators

Question 50

How can we lower emissions produced by driving cars?

Answer 50

Public Transport

Question 51

How can we lower emissions produced by generating electricity?

Answer 51

Energy efficient appliances Turn appliances off Switching to renewable sources

Question 52

What are two of the main reasons people are reluctant to make eco-friendly switches?

Answer 52

Convenience | Cost

Question 53

What are the biggest sources of methane?

Answer 53

Agriculture | Landfills

Question 54

How can we more sustainable use the methane in landfills?

Answer 54

Trapping and burning it

Question 55

What are the negatives of trapping and burning methane?

Answer 55

Cost

Question 56

When do fuels release energy?

Answer 56

When Combusted

Question 57

Give two examples of fuels

Answer 57

Coal | Hydrocarbons

Question 58

What is coal often used for?

Answer 58

Generating electricity

Question 59

What are hydrocarbons often used for?

Answer 59

Powering vehicles

Question 60

What two elements do fuels contain?

Answer 60

Hydrogen | Carbon

Question 61

General equation for complete combustion

Answer 61

Fuel + Oxygen -> Carbon Dioxide + Water

Question 62

What type of reaction is combustion?

Answer 62

Oxidation

Question 63

What happens if amounts of oxygen are too low during combustion?

Answer 63

Carbon Monoxide forms instead of carbon dioxide

Question 64

What fuel most commonly contains sulphur?

Answer 64

Coal

Question 65

When does sulphur Dioxide form?

Answer 65

Burning of coal | Oxidation

Question 66

When do oxides of nitrogen form?

Answer 66

In engines

Question 67

Why do we not specify which oxide is formed when nitrogen and oxygen react in engines?

Answer 67

A range of different molecules form | We call this NOx

Question 68

What negative impacts do oxides of nitrogen and sulphur dioxide cause?

Answer 68

Dissolve to create acid rain | Creating breathing problems

Question 69

What does acid rain commonly corrode?

Answer 69

Limestone

Question 70

What is soot made off?

Answer 70

Particles of carbon and unburnt hydrocarbons

Question 71

What type of pollution is soot?

Answer 71

Particulate

Question 72

How do particulates damage human health?

Answer 72

Increase risk of heart and lung disease

Question 73

Describe Global Dimming

Answer 73

Particulates limit the amount of energy from the sun that reaches the Earth's surface