chemistry of the atmosphere

what gasses does earth contain and roughly how old is it

other gasses: argon co water vapour

4.6 billion years old

how was the first billion years of the world

• dry

• intense volcanic activity which produced loads of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water vapour AND smaller amounts of methane and ammonia

how did cooling of earth happen

what happened 2.7 billion years ago

algae began to appear and green plants evolved rapidly

= oxygen levels increased, co2 decreased due to photosynthesis.

=allowed complex life forms like animals to evolve

what prevented co2 from going back to earths atmosphere

when algae died it fell to the sea bed

=got buried under the layers of sediment

=sediment became compressed over the million years

which formed sedimentary rock, oil, gas

=trapped the co2 from going back to the atmosphere

what are types of rock, oil, gas that got buried under sediment

atmosphere

-keeps perfect amount of heat energy for it to stay at a nice temp all the time

what is the greenhouse effect

1 Solar radiation from the sun passes through the atmosphere and hits the earth.(short wavelength)

2 Some of this energy is reflected straight back towards space, and some of it is absorbed by the earth and then re-emitted towards space.

3 Some of the energy makes it all the way to space, but much of it is absorbed by small molecules called greenhouse gases.

4 These molecules then re-emit the energy and the whole process of absorption and emission happens over and over again.

5This trapped energy keeps the atmosphere warmer and more stable than it otherwise would be.

how does global warming occur

increased use of co2 by humans

= increase in conc of greenhouse gases

= stronger greenhouse effect

=global warming

where is carbon dioxide and methane released in global warming

co2=

burning loads of fossil fuels → releases co2 from the rock

deforestation→ less photosynthesis

ch4=

farm animals during digestion

huge amounts of waste decomposing

how do we know the earth is getting warmer

records dating back to hundreds of years ago show that there is a steady increase

climate change

impacts of global warming

what are the impacts of global warming and general impact

• sea levels rise bcs of melting ice and warming water expanding in volume

• droughts, hurricanes,floods, becoming more common and severe

• genereal impact: perfectly adapted animals are not able to survive

however some adapt to new conditions or migrate

carbon footprint and its pros and cons

something being: product service or event

Give four factors you would you need to take into account when calculating the carbon footprint of a car

hwo to reduce emissions

complete combustion

what is incomplete combustion and what does it release

• carbon monoxide

• particulates (solid particles of carbon) = soot

problems with soot

problems with carbon monoxide

how does sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxides form

-impurities: sulfur

2 problems both sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides have