topic 9 atmosphere Flashcards
what is the idea of phase 1 - believing in how the atmosphere developed
-the surfaces of the earth were covered in volcanoes that erupted and released lots of gases
(phase 1) what do scientists think that the early atmosphere was mostly what type of GAS
CARBON DIOXIDE, with virtually no oxygen so like mars and venus
PHASE 1- what did volcanic activity release (3)
nitrogen, which built up in the atmosphere over time, as well as water vapour and small amounts of methane and ammonia
PHASE 2- what happened when the water vapour in the atmosphere condensed
it formed the oceans
phase 2- why was carbon dioxide removed from the early atmosphere
-what did it become when went through a series of reactions
as it dissolved in the oceans. This dissolved carbon dioxide went through a series of reactions to form CARBON PRECIPITATES that formed sediments on the seabed
phase 2- what 2 things absorbed carbon dioxide to carry out photosynthesis
green plants and algae
phase 2- what did the shells and skeletons of the marine animals contain
carbonates from the oceans
phase 2- some of the carbon that organisms took in from the atmosphere, what happened to them
they became locked up in rocks and fossil fuels after the organisms died
P2-what happened to plants, plankton and marine animals when they died
they fell to the seabed and got buried by layers of sediment. Over millions of years, they became COMPRESSED and formed SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
P2-when plants, plankton and marine animals become compressed what do they form
sedimentary rocks
P2-how is crude oil and natural gas formed
from deposits of plankton
P2-what is coal
a sedimentary rock made from thick plant deposits
P2-what is limestone made of
calcium carbonate deposits from the shells and skeletons of marine organisms
P3- how did green plants and algae produce oxygen by
photosynthesis
P3- what is photosynthesis
when plants use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars
P3- what evolved first, algae or green plants
algae
what gases are produced when FOSSIL FUELS are burned
- carbon dioxide
- oxides of nitrogen
- sulphur dioxide
- carbon monoxide
fossil fuels such as crude oil and coal contain what …
hydrocarbons
during combustion, what happens to the carbon and hydrogen in hydrocarbons and why does this happen
they are oxidised so that carbon dioxide and water vapour are released into the atmosphere
what is complete combustion
when there is plenty of oxygen and all of the fuel burns
what is incomplete combustion
when there is not enough oxygen and some of the fuel does not burn
why is inhaling particles from the air bad
because they can get stuck in the lungs and cause damage, this can lead to respiratory problems
why are particles in the air bad for the environment
they themselves, or the clouds they help to produce, reflect sunlight back into space. This means that less light reaches the earth- causing global dimming
what is caused if less light reaches the earth
global dimming
why is carbon monoxide bad for your blood
-it can stop your blood from doing its proper job of carrying oxygen around the body
how does carbon monoxide stop blood from carrying oxygen around body
it does this by binding to haemoglobin in your blood that normally carries oxygen, so less oxygen is able to be transported round body
`what can a lack of blood in body lead to
fainting, coma or even death
why is carbon monoxide very very dangerous
because it is hard to detect as it has no colour or smell
what is released during the combustion of fossil fuels that contain sulphur impurities
sulphur dioxide (S02)
how is nitrogen oxide created
from a reaction between the nitrogen and oxygen in the air caused by the heat of the burning
when sulphur dioxide or nitrogen oxide mix with clouds what do they form and what do they fall as
dilute sulphuric acid or dilute nitric acid and they fall as acid rain
why is acid rain dangerous
because it kills plants and damages buildings and statues and it also makes metal corrode
why is sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide bad for humans
they can cause respiratory problems if breathed in
give 3 examples of greenhouse gases
carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour
why are the 3 examples of greenhouses gases good for the earth’s atmosphere
because they act like an insulating layer and allows the earth to to be warm enough to support life
what wavelength does the earth absorb in
the long wavelength that gets reflected back off the earth from the sun
what is the long wavelength called that results in warming of the surface of the earth
thermal radiation
what is the greenhouse effect
the thermal radiation that results in the warming of the earth
how does DEFORESTATION affect the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
fewer trees means less carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere via PHOTOSYNTHESIS
how does burning FOSSIL FUELS affect the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
carbon that was ‘LOCKED UP’ in these fuels is released as CO2
how does AGRICULTURE affect the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
more farm animals produce methane through their digestive processes
what do scientists believe will lead to climate change
the increased amount of carbon dioxide used by humans
what gases are present in the atmosphere today
- oxygen
- nitrogen
- small % of other gases such as: carbon dioxide, water vapour and noble gases such as argon
what was the atmosphere like in the past
- mainly carbon dioxide
- very little or no oxygen
what do scientists believe that volcanoes do that formed the atmosphere
they released gases that formed the atmosphere such as water vapour
what gases where released when volcanoes erupted (4)
- carbon dioxide
- nitrogen
- ammonia
- methane
how were oceans formed
as the earth cooled, water vapour condensed to form oceans
how were weak acids formed in the oceans
because some carbon dioxide dissolved in the ocean
what did the weak acids in the oceans react with to form what
they reacted with minerals to form precipitates- this formed sediments of carbonate rock on the sea bed
what removed Co2 from the atmosphere- one example
limestone
what 2 planets was the early atmosphere like
venus and mars
how did oxygen come into the atmosphere
- photosynthetic algae evolved in the oceans
- photosynthesis produced oxygen which entered the atmosphere
what increased the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere (what evolved)
plants evolved
what can carbon be trapped into
fossil fuels
