history of the atmosphere

Question 1

what gases exist in out atmosphere

Answer 1

• nitrogen
• oxygen
• argon
• carbon dioxide

Question 2

changes in atmosphere

Answer 2

• amounts of nitrogen and oxygen have gone up
  (N= 3.5% - 78%) (O= a trace - 21%)
• amounts of carbon dioxide has decreased a lot
  (96.5% - 0.03%)
• amount of water vapour has decreased

Question 3

why did the amounts of oxygen increase

Answer 3

plants and algae developed, used Co2 for photosynthesis and produced oxygen

Question 4

why did the amounts of water vapour decrease

Answer 4

water vapour condensed due to the earth cooling down and formed oceans

Question 5

why did the amounts of nitrogen increase

Answer 5

large amounts of volcanic activity released nitrogen, nitrogen cannot be removed and doesn’t react or do anything

Question 6

why did the amounts of carbon dioxide decrease

Answer 6

• CO2 dissolved in oceans to form carbonates
• fossil fuels lock up CO2
• photosynthesis of plants and algae

Question 7

order of the atmosphere changes

Answer 7

1) growth of plants - oxygen increase, CO2 decrease
2) oceans - water vapour decrease, CO2 decrease
3) volcanic activity - nitrogen increase
4) fossil fuels - CO2 decrease

Question 8

ammonia and methane

Answer 8

volcanic eruptions produced small amounts of ammonia and methane, but they reacted with the oxygen and no longer exist

Question 9

noble gases

Answer 9

all the noble gasses exist in the atmosphere but at very low percentages
(Argon = 0.9%) (Ne + Kr + Xe = >0.1%)

Question 10

what is the greenhouse effect

Answer 10

the increase of heat from the sun trapped in the atmosphere

Question 11

what are greenhouse gases

Answer 11

gases that absorb radiated energy from the earths surface

Question 12

how do greenhouse gases warm the earth

Answer 12

• short wavelength radiation from the sun pass through the atmosphere are are absorbed by the ground/ water
• almost 30% of these are reflected back into space
• the ground heats up emits infrared waves that have long wavelengths
• the long wavelengths are absorbed by the greenhouse gases and warm the atmosphere

Question 13

what gases contribute to the greenhouse effect

Answer 13

the main 3 gases
- CO2 = fossil fuels
- water vapour = fossil fuels, natural evaporation
- methane = swamps, grazing cattle, decomposing waste, rice growing

Question 14

what are the consequences of rising greenhouse gases

Answer 14

• leads to larger changes in the global climate
• climate change is the pattern in the climate
• global warming causes climate change

Question 15

effects of climate change

Answer 15

• wet places become wetter, dry places become drier
• melting ice caps and glaciers
• increased extreme weather events
• rapid climate changes

Question 16

greenhouse gases create a chain of effects

Answer 16

greenhouse gases - global warming - climate change - ice caps melting - (habitat loss - extinction of animals) / (sea levels rise- floods - loss of homes - people die - orphans)…

Question 17

what is a carbon footprint

Answer 17

• the amount of greenhouse gases emitted over the life cycle of a product

Question 18

pollution from fuels

Answer 18

• fossil fuels also produce sulfur which forms sulfur dioxide when it reacts with oxygen, toxic and causes acid rain
• incomplete combustion takes place when there is not enough oxygen inside an engine which produced CO, toxic and kills if inhaled
• high temperatures in engines cause nitrogen and oxygen to react making nitrogen oxide, toxic and also causes acid rain, can trigger asthma