Composition of the atmosphere Flashcards
What is the structure of the atom?
Nucleus- protons and neutrons
Electron cloud- electrons
What are the charges of protons, neutrons and electrons?
Protons- +1
Electrons- -1
Neutrons- 0
What is the diameter of most atoms?
0.1-0.3nm
What is the mass of the electron cloud compared to the nucleus?
1/1840
What does atomic number relate to?
The number of protons (will decide the element)
How are protons and electrons linked?
there will be the same number of protons as electrons
What is atomic mass or weight/ how do you work it out?
Number of protons and neutrons added together
What is an isotope?
an element which has the sae number of protons but more or less neutrons (this makes it more unstable)
What are some examples of isotopes?
Carbon 13
Carbon 14
What is air a mixture of?
gases and tiny suspended particles
How is the composition f the atmosphere typically described?
concentration or percentage
What is an example of the use of concentration for composition?
CO2 =ppm
What is a use of % to show composition?
Water vapour % by volume
What gases is atmospheric pressure dominated by?
Most abundant nitrogen and oxygen
what % if the atmosphere is nitrogen and oxygen?
Nitrogen- 78.08%
Oxygen- 20.95%
What is the size of aerosols?
<1 micrometer (1 millionth of a meter)
What dies the tiny size of aerosols mean?
they remain aloft in the atmosphere (linked to making covid remain in rooms)
How can aerosols be found? (form)
liquid droplets and solid particles (natural and anthropogenic)
What are some examples of liquid aerosols?
Fog
clouds
What are some examples of solid aerosols (particulates)?
Volcanic ash
Smoke
Blown sea salt
Dust
Ice
Pollen
What is another name for solid aerosols?
particulates
Where do most anthropogenic particulates originate from?
Industrial activities
transportation
burning of fossil fuel
What is one of the main ways Sodium (Na) is transferred from ocean to land?
Sea spray
How do aerosols affect precipitation?
They provide nucleation site for water droplets and ice crystals
What affect do aerosols have on light?
they scatter light leading to a cooling effect on climate (can be local or global)
What does a greater number of aerosol particulates in a cloud do?
more water droplets nucleate but individual drops will be smaller
Why will drops be smaller when aerosol concentration in a cloud is greater?
as total amount of water in cloud does not differ
How does more water droplets in a cloud promote cooling?
the clouds with more smaller droplets are whiter so a higher albedo
How can volcanic eruption have a cooling effect?
clouds of sulphur bearing aerosols from large explosive eruptions have noticeable cooling effect on the climate sometimes for years
What are the major GHGs?
carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane,
nitrous oxide
What are Commonalities
three or more atoms bonded loosely enough that
they vibrate when they absorb heat
What eventually happens to the vibrating commonalities?
vibrating molecules release the radiation, which will
likely be absorbed by another greenhouse gas molecule
What does the release of radiation from vibrating molecules do to earths surface?
it keeps the heat there
Why cant the main atmospheric constituents vibrate?
N2 and O2 cant as the bond between the 2 atoms is too strong
What can the Main atmospheric constituents not do?
Absorb heat
What do the Main atmospheric constituents contribute to?
GHG effect
What 3 factors affect how much a GHG influences global warming?
How effective at trapping heat it is
How abundant it is
Its lifetime
What is residence time?
How long a pollutant remains in the atmosphere in its original form
What is global warming potential (GWP)?
measure of total energy absorbed per unit time
What are some ways concentration can be measured?(Units)
parts per million (ppm),
parts per billion (ppb)
parts per trillion (ppt)
What is the equivalent of some GHGs potency compared to carbon dioxide?
methane 25 times
NOx 300 times
Fluorinated gases 1000’s-10000s
How much each human caused GHG to total global emissions?
CO2- 76%
Methane- 16%
Nitrous oxide- 6%
Fluorinated gases- 2%
What is the reason for the vast differences in the environment of Earth, Mars and Venus?
have markedly different atmosphere
What is Mar’s mass of atmosphere like compared to Earths?
1/100th
What does it mean for mars having a lower mass of atmosphere?
more radiation emitted by surface and escapes directly into space
What is Mars conditions like?
cold
lacks persistent liquid water
Is insolation constant?
incoming radiation is not constant
How much less was the energy emitted by the sun 4 billion years ago?
20-30% lower
what should have having lower solar energy output have meant for earth?
run away glaciation
What case study is there about the sun for atmospheric composition?
The Faint Young Sun Paradox
What is the paradox with the faint young sun paradox?
geological lines of evidence suggest liquid water was present at all times.
Plus no evidence of glaciation across whole global at one period
What is climate?
the average weather conditions
How is climate different from weather?
the probabilities of climate is more predictable
What does climate interact with?
the atmosphere and the oceans, ice,
lithosphere, and biosphere
What is a climate forcing?
a change external to the climate system that may push the climate system in the direction of warming or cooling
What are some examples of climate forcing?
variation in sunlight, Earth’s orbit, albedo, greenhouse effect
Where is the “keeling curve” from?
Mauna loa station Hawaii relating to atmospheric co2 trend since the 1960’s
What does the “keeling curve” show?
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has
increased rapidly
How much has global temperature risen since the start of the industrial revolution?
1*C
What is a climate FEEDBACK?
amplifies or diminishes the effect of each climate forcing
What does a positive feedback loop mean?
self- reinforcing
runaway effect
What is a general example of a positive feedback?
If the planet warms, a positive feedback is a process that will cause the planet to warm even more
What does a negative feedback mean?
self-correcting or self-limiting
Stabilising effect
What is an example of a positive feedback?
Increased temp leads to melting sea ice reducing albedo increasing absorbed energy increasing temp
How can temperature and clouds create a feedback loop?
Increased temp= more water vapour= more clouds= increased albedo/ or trap terrestrial radiation
What will affect the balance of if a cloud traps or reflects energy?
balance depends on where the clouds
are, how thick they are and at what height the cloud base is
Are feedbacks fast or slow?
they can be either
What are some examples of fast feedbacks?
water vapor, clouds, sea ice, aerosols
What are some examples of slow feedbacks?
ice sheets, land surface
vegetation, ocean circulation
What are the slowest type of feedbacks?
those which involve rock and sediments
