The Earth's atmosphere

Question 1

Describe composition of earth’s early atmosphere

Answer 1

Mostly carbon dioxide
small amounts of nitrogen
no oxygen

Question 2

Describe the composition of earth’s atmosphere

Answer 2

78% nitrogen
21% oxygen
0.04% carbon dioxide

Question 3

which process is believed to have produced the early atmosphere of the earth?

Answer 3

Volcanic activity

Question 4

EXPLAIN what happened to all of the water vapour in the early atmosphere

Answer 4

Condensed and formed the oceans as earth cooled

Question 5

when and why did oxygen levels increase in the atmosphere

Answer 5

2.7 billion years ago , the first photosynthesising algae evolved

Question 6

DESCRIBE what happened to the levels of carbon dioxide as earth’s atmosphere evolved

Answer 6

Decreased. Carbon dioxide is absorbed my plant life.

Question 7

list the sources of carbon dioxide

Answer 7

respiration, burning fossil fuels

Question 8

list the sources of methane

Answer 8

grazing cattle, landfill sites , swamps

Question 9

Describe the effects of carbon monoxide

Answer 9

STOPS red blood cells carrying oxygen.
results in headaches, sickness and death

Question 10

describe the effects on nitrogen and sulfur

Answer 10

acid rain

Question 11

describe the effects of particulates

Answer 11

global dimming, smog. can trigger athsma and lung cancer

Question 11

Describe the effects of global warming

Answer 11

habitat loss
changes in species ditribution
changes in migration patterns
loss in biodiversity

Question 12

list the ways we solve global warming

Answer 12

reducing carbon footprints
carbon capture and storage
Eating less beef
Biofuels

Question 13

DESCRIBE the greenhouse gas affect

Answer 13

Greenhouse gases allow short wavelength EM radiation (eg UV light) to pass through from the sun to the earth.

Energy is absorbed by the earth’s surface and re-emitted at longer wavelengths(eg EM)

Some is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

This traps the energy and increases the temperature