C13 The Earth's atmosphere Flashcards
What was the Earth’s early atmosphere formed by?
Volcanic activity
What did the Earth’s early atmosphere consist of?
Mainly carbon dioxide, may have been some nitrogen, water vapour, methane and ammonia
How were the oceans initially formed?
When the earth cooled down and the water vapour in the atmosphere condensed
How did algae lead to oxygen levels rising steadily?
Algae used energy transferred from the sun to photosynthesise. More and more plants evolved. The plants photosynthesised, removing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen from the Earth’s atmosphere
What are the main gases in the atmosphere today?
80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen
What were crude oil and natural gases formed from?
The remains of plankton
What was coal formed from?
Thick deposits of plant material
What are the three main greenhouse gases?
Carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour
How are greenhouse gases causing the Earth to heat up?
The surface of the Earth cools down by emitting longer wavelength radiation. However, greenhouse gases absorb infrared radiation. So some of the energy radiated from the surface of the Earth gets trapped in the atmosphere and the temperature rises
What are some of the consequences or rising levels of greenhouse gases? (3)
Rising sea levels, more frequent and severe storms, changes in temperature and rainfall
What is the carbon footprint of something?
The total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted over somethings full life cycle
