Photo AI
Carbon dioxide is one of the gases in the Earth’s atmosphere - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2019 - Paper 1
Question 5
Carbon dioxide is one of the gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. The percentage of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere has changed over time. (i) Which row of the... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Carbon dioxide is one of the gases in the Earth’s atmosphere - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2019 - Paper 1
Step 1
Which row of the table shows the approximate percentage of carbon dioxide thought to be in the Earth’s early atmosphere and how this percentage changed to form the Earth’s atmosphere today?
Answer
The correct row is C, which indicates that the approximate percentage of carbon dioxide in the Earth's early atmosphere is 95% and that this percentage has decreased to form the Earth's atmosphere today.
Step 2
Explain two factors that cause the percentage of carbon dioxide in today's atmosphere to vary.
Answer
Factor 1: Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, contribute significantly to the increase in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. This process releases stored carbon into the atmosphere, leading to variations in the overall percentage of carbon dioxide.
Factor 2: Natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions and oceanic absorption, also affect carbon dioxide levels. Volcanic eruptions can release large amounts of carbon dioxide, while oceans act as carbon sinks, absorbing significant quantities of CO2. These natural variations can influence the atmospheric percentage of carbon dioxide.