Changes in the atmosphere
Which gas makes up 78% of our atmosphere?
Nitrogen
The total amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a product, service or event.
Carbon footprint
What is the great oxygenation event?
When oxygen was first introduced to our atmosphere
What colour is a bunsen flame undergoing complete combustion?
Blue
What is climate?
The average weather of a location over a period of time, usually 30 years.
How was oxygen first introduced to the earth's atmosphere?
Photosynthesis by cyanobacteria
How many steps are required to fuel a car that produce a carbon footprint?
4
When was the great oxygenation event?
Between 3.5 and 2.5 billion years ago
What are the products of complete combustion?
Carbon dioxide, water, energy
Name 2 natural causes of climate change
Any 2 of:
changes in the Sun’s radiation
movement of tectonic plates
volcanic eruptions.
What prevented living organisms from surviving on land in the early atmosphere?
UV radiation from the sun was too intense
These are alternative ways of generating electricity to reduce greenhouse gases that are emitted by burning fuels. However, greenhouse gases are still emitted when the equipment they use – like wind turbines – is made.
Renewable energy
How did the great oxygenation event allow for organisms to start to live on land?
Oxygen in the atmosphere began to form Ozone, which protected the earth from UV radiation from the sun.
What is the full word equation for incomplete combustion?
fuel + oxygen -> carbon dioxide + water + carbon particulates (+energy)
Why do some scientists believe average temperature changes since 1860 are not important?
They believe we are recovering from a little ice-age from 1400-1900
Why did levels of methane in the early atmosphere first start to fall?
It reacted with oxygen that had been introduced to the atmosphere
A technology that can capture the carbon dioxide emissions produced from the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation and industrial processes, preventing the carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
Carbon capture and storage
What factors and what kind of organisms cause natural gas to be formed?
Small animals and plants like zoo plankton and algae with extreme heat and pressure (More than for oil to form)
How are carbon particulates bad for your health?
They are carcinogenic, and bacteria and toxins stick to them to reach further down the lungs
What is anthropogenic change and name 4 examples of this.
Changes caused by human activity. Examples include:
burning fossil fuels
deforestation
ozone depletion
changes in land use.
How can sea creatures like plankton remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?
Carbon dioxide is dissolved in the oceans and small sea creatures can use this to make calcium carbonate to form their shells.
Schemes that allow individuals and companies to invest in environmental projects around the world in order to balance out their own carbon footprints
Carbon off-setting
How did the formation of fossil fuels remove carbon from our atmosphere?
Carbon dioxide was used by plants to produce glucose, which contains carbon. Animals that eat the plants absorb the glucose too.
Dead plants and animals are buried under layers of sediment. So the carbon in their bodies is unable to be released into the atmosphere as they break down.
How are nitrogen oxides produced and what is their effect on the environment?
NOx is formed when nitrogen is oxidized in burning fossil fuels, like in car engines. NOx is toxic and can cause acid rain.
How do greenhouse gases increase the temperature of the earth?
They trap heat in the atmosphere released by the earth