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This question is about changes to the Earth's atmosphere - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry Combined Science - Question 1 - 2016 - Paper 1
Question 1
This question is about changes to the Earth's atmosphere. (a) Which of the following is a correct statement about the relative amounts of carbon dioxide and oxygen ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:This question is about changes to the Earth's atmosphere - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry Combined Science - Question 1 - 2016 - Paper 1
Step 1
Which of the following is a correct statement about the relative amounts of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the Earth's early atmosphere?
Answer
The correct answer is A: large amount of carbon dioxide and large amount of oxygen. In the Earth's early atmosphere, carbon dioxide was present in significant quantities, while oxygen levels were much lower compared to today.
Step 2
Describe how the composition of the atmosphere is affected by burning fossil fuels.
Answer
Burning fossil fuels releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere. This increase in CO₂ contributes to the greenhouse effect, whereby heat is trapped in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to global warming. Additionally, burning fossil fuels can produce other pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, which can also affect atmospheric composition and quality.
Step 3
Explain whether these graphs provide evidence that an increase in carbon dioxide is causing the Earth’s temperature to rise.
Answer
The graphs indicate a clear correlation between the concentration of carbon dioxide and the mean global temperature from 1960 to 2000. As the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere rises, there is a corresponding increase in the global temperature. This suggests that the increase in carbon dioxide is likely contributing to the rise in Earth's temperature, supporting the hypothesis that human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, are impacting the climate.