topic 9- chemistry of the atmosphere Flashcards
what is the percentages of the earths gases now
80% nitrogen
20% oxygen
>1% other gases
what was the early atmosphere like and why
lots of carbon dioxide mainly
+ water vapour and nitrogen
volcanic activity caused carbon dioxide
early atmosphere is like the current atmosphere of Mars and Venus
how was carbon dioxide decreased
Carbon sinks
Water vapour condensed into ocean allowing carbon dioxide to dissolve
Photosynthesis
Algae and plants performing photosynthesis and absorbing carbon dioxide for it
Locked up Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide getting trapped in fossil fuels and rocks that formed as organisms were compressed by sediment
how are crude oil and natural gas formed
from dead plankton
what are the three greenhouse gases
methane
water vapour
carbon dioxide
what is the greenhouse effect
short wave length radiation is emitted from the sun
earth re emits it back as long wavelength radiation
earth absorbs some and re radiates it in all directions
some goes to space and some is directed to the earth with warms it up
is the enhanced greenhouse effect bad
yes
what human activities contribute to climate change
deforestation- less co2 being removed from the atmosphere
farm animals - produce methane during digestion
burning fossil fuels- release CO2
decomposition of landfill- releases methane and co2
what are the consequences of climate change
ice caps melting
sea levels rise
flooding
more extreme weather events
- destruction of habitats
- animals endangered
- biodiversity decreases
why is it hard for scientists to make models of climate change
it’s complex and have a lot of factors to take into account
what’s a carbon footprint
total amount of CO2 ( and other gases) emmittted over something’s full life cycle
what are the benefits of carbon footprint
discover how damaging things are to the environment
identify polluting activities so we can reduce
what’s the problem with measuring carbon footprint
it’s hard
what are some ways to reduce emissions
renewable energy sources (wind , solar)
more efficient manufacturing processes- use less energy therefore less waste
Government creating new laws and taxing companies
Carbon capture
What are some problems with reducing emissions
Renewable energy is expensive
Government doesn’t want economy to decline
International agreements are hard as no country wants their economy to collapse
