• CHEMIST

     
    1. Global warming is an increase in the temperature of the earth due to the usage of fossil fuels which ultimately lead to a buildup of greenhouse gases. Although the greenhouse gases help stop infrared radiation from escaping and maintain the temperature, they may in the future result in elevated global temperature due to the great amount of carbon dioxide in the air. a. The greenhouse effect is the earth's atmosphere acting like a greenhouse. Energy from the sun heats the earth's surface. The earth then radiates energy back into space. Some atmospheric greenhouse gases trap the outgoing energy and holds the heat like glass panels. b. Enhanced greenhouse effect- Because of the industrial revolution, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide increased about 30%, methane concentrations have more than doubled, and nitrous oxide concentrations have risen by about 15%. These increases have enhanced the heat-trapping capability of the earth's atmosphere 3. Natural greenhouse gases:- 2 biggest emissions- power plants & transportationa. water vaporb. carbon dioxide- when solid waste, fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), and wood and wood products are burnedc. methane- production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil; decomposition from organic wastes (landfills, livestock) traps over 21 times more heat that CO2d. nitrous oxide- agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during combustion of solid waste and fossil fuels; absorbs 270 times more heat than CO2e. ozone
    4. carbon cycle- the cycle of carbon usage by which energy flows through the earth's ecosystem. This carbon is incorporated in plant tissue as carbohydrates, fats, and protein- the rest- returned to atmosphere or water by respiration. Herbivores who eat the plants use, rearrange, and degrade the carbon compounds. It is given off as CO2 in respiration, some is stored in animal tissue and passed on to carnivores who eat the herbivores. Decomposition is the ultimate carbon compounds break downer. The carbon is released as CO2 into the air to be used by plants once again. 5. greenhouse gases on carbon cycle and global warming- Greenhouse gases that are released into the air allows the atmosphere to retain more carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide keeps radiation from escaping. However, too much carbon dioxide in the air can cause a fluctuation in the temperature. Even a slight increase of a few degrees worldwide could result in melting of the ice caps, thus, global warming. -7 billion tons of carbon turns into over 20 bil tons of CO2 released by cars, factoires, and energy production- half of this absorbed by oceans and the biosphere. The rest stays in the atmosphere, joining other post-industrial revolution CO2 - remains there for an average of 100 years.
    7. carbon dioxide- used in respiration. Plants take it in to make glucose - greenhouses gases not naturally occurring; used in air conditioning, refrigeration and foam production CFCs ultimately after 1-2 years, reach the stratosphere and are broken down by UV radiation. The chlorine atoms within them are released as chlorine monoxide and directly attack ozone. These chlorine molecules act as a catalyst. In the process of destroying ozone, the chlorine atoms are regenerated and begin to attack other ozone molecules... and so on, for thousands of cycles before the chlorine atoms are removed from the stratosphere by other processes.
    a. Ozone in the upper atmosphere- absorbs harmful UV radiation from the sun, in the upper atmosphere there is a layer containing a small amount of ozoneb. Results of decreased levels of ozone- cause sking cancer, eye cataracts, and suppression of the immune system in humans and other species, and food crops may be effected
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