Energy in Chemistry The Atmosphere and Oceans

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      CD2        Energy   in  Chemistry

The  Atmosphere  and  Oceans

The  atmosphere  is  a  cocktail  of  gases .  The  exact  amounts  of  each  gas  vary  as  the  amount  of  water  vapour  is  variable.

The  amount  of  carbon  dioxide  in  the  atmosphere  is  tiny (0.01%).

The  amounts  of  carbon  dioxide  and  oxygen  gas  are  balanced  and  stay  the  same.

Photosynthesis  in  plants  converts  carbon  dioxide  into  oxygen.  

Breathing  and  burning  convert  oxygen  into  carbon  dioxide.

Burning  a  lot  of  fossil  fuels  destroys  the  balance  by  putting  a  lot  of  carbon  dioxide  into  the  atmosphere.  This  traps  the  sun’s  rays  and  will  not  allow  them  to  escape,  this  is  called  the  greenhouse  effect.  This  causes  the  earth  to  become  hotter  and  is  called  global  warming.

Problems  caused  by  this  are  more  violent  weather  and  melting  ice-caps  making  the  sea  rise.

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Burning  fossil  fuels  that  contain  sulphur  also  makes  the  gas  sulphur  dioxide  which  dissolves  in  clouds  and  causes  acid  rain.  Problems  caused  by  acid  rain  include  dissolving  buildings  and  plant  and  animal  life  being  damaged.

In  prehistoric  times  the  atmosphere  was  made  up  of  carbon  dioxide  and  ammonia.

The  oceans  formed  by  water  dissolving  salt  from  the  rocks  ,  this  salt  stays  in  the  oceans  because  it  does  not  evaporate  when  water  does.

Oil

Oil  is  formed  over  millions  of  years  by  the  dead  bodies  of  marine  animals  decaying  trapped  under  layers  of   sedimentary  rocks.  Rocks ...

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