Proportions of Gases in the Atmosphere Flashcards
What percentage of NITROGEN is in the Earth’s atmosphere?
78% NITROGEN
What percentage of OXYGEN is in the Earth’s atmosphere?
21% OXYGEN
What small amounts of other gases are in the Earth’s atmosphere?
Noble gases, carbon dioxide, and water vapour.
How have the relative amounts of different gases in the Earth’s atmosphere stayed for the past couple of hundred million years?
Quite consistent
What is Nitrogen important for and why?
It is a key component of PROTEINS, which are essential for growth.
What must producers found at the base of food chains do?
They must absorb nitrogen in the form of SOLUBLE NITRATES from the soil.
What is oxygen a reactant in?
Oxygen is a reactant in RESPIRATION - a chemical reaction that takes place in all living cells.
What happens after we breathe oxygen into our lungs?
It diffuses into our blood and is carried to all the cells in our body.
What are the two main greenhouse gases on earth?
Carbon dioxide and water vapour.
What do greenhouse gases do?
What is this known as?
They absorb and then re-radiate heat energy that is reflected off the Earth’s surface. This is known as the GREENHOUSE EFFECT.
What happens if the greenhouse effect is too strong?
Leads to GLOBAL WARMING.
How long ago was the Earth formed?
Roughly 4.6 BILLION years ago.
What was littered across the Earth’s surface?
How long of the Earth’s existence was it doing this?
HIGHLY ACTIVE volcanos for the FIRST BILLION years of Earth’s existence.
What was the reason for the release of lots of carbon dioxide?
What other gases were released in small amounts because of this?
The frequent eruption of the volcanos. Water vapour, methane, ammonia and nitrogen were also released in small amounts.
What do scientists think about carbon dioxide at the beginning of the Earth?
What is a modern example?
They think carbon dioxide dominated the early atmosphere. Similarly to modern-day Mars.
