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Atmospher E: How Are Environmental Systems Sustained by Their Chemistry?

This document discusses environmental systems and the chemistry that sustains them. It focuses on how human development has impacted atmospheric composition through increased emissions and pollution. Key concepts explained include the carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles and how they interconnect. The effects of uncontrolled emissions and importance of biological contributions to global systems are raised as inquiry questions. Details are provided on ozone depletion through chlorofluorocarbons breaking down to release chlorine atoms, which catalyze ozone destruction through reaction cycles. Methods for repairing ozone depletion and removing pollutants from the atmosphere are briefly outlined.

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Arhan Singhal
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46 views16 pages

Atmospher E: How Are Environmental Systems Sustained by Their Chemistry?

This document discusses environmental systems and the chemistry that sustains them. It focuses on how human development has impacted atmospheric composition through increased emissions and pollution. Key concepts explained include the carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles and how they interconnect. The effects of uncontrolled emissions and importance of biological contributions to global systems are raised as inquiry questions. Details are provided on ozone depletion through chlorofluorocarbons breaking down to release chlorine atoms, which catalyze ozone destruction through reaction cycles. Methods for repairing ozone depletion and removing pollutants from the atmosphere are briefly outlined.

Uploaded by

Arhan Singhal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ATMOSPHER

E
How are environmental systems
sustained by their chemistry?
Key Concept: Changes

Related Concept: Consequences

Unit Details:
Global Context: Globalization
and sustainability

Global Context exploration: Human


impact on the environment
Statement of Inquiry:

Change because of human


development can be identified
within all environments on our
planet.
• Atmospheric composition
• Characteristics of gases
• Pollution and Greenhouse effect
• Carbon cycle and carbon
footprint
Table of content: • Emission and environmental
implications
• Extraction
• Testing and treatment:
investigating atmospheric
pollutants, repairing ozone
depletion
Factual: What are the implications of uncontrolled
emissions?
How do environmental cycles interconnect?

Conceptual: How important are biological contributions to


global systems?
Inquiry
Questions:
Debatable: How do we balance the environmental risk and
the societal benefits of the exploitation of chemical
resources?
To what extent do we need to change to counter the
predictions of environmental models?
Water cycle

How do
environmental Carbon cycle
cycles
interconnect?

Nitrogen cycle
Water cycle
Interpret the figure below to state:

Carbon cycle

Carbon dioxide + Water -- Glucose + Oxygen


The Chemistry of the
Carbon Cycle
• Sources:
Sinks: Destination of the component

• Ocean acts sink for atmospheric carbon


The Chemistry of dioxide
the Carbon Cycle
• Photosynthesis process also removes
atmospheric carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide + water  glucose +


oxygen
How atmosphere
interacts with
nutrient cycles?

Nitrogen cycle - It
summarizes the
vital importance of
nitrogen to both
plants and animals
Video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOpRT8BRGtk
POLLUTION AND POLLUTANTS
Pollution refers to harmful changes in the equilibrium (or balance) of biological
and non-biological systems, as a result of human activity.

Many pollutants are substances that occur naturally, such as sulfur dioxide or
carbon dioxide. However, human activity has led to an increase in the
concentrations of such substances, which upsets the delicate balance of natural
cycles.

For example, carbon dioxide is released naturally by volcanoes and all living
organisms, but human combustion of fossil fuels is contributing to global
warming and climate change.
OZONE DEPLETION
The intense ultraviolet radiation in the upper atmosphere breaks the weaker C–Cl bonds of CFCs to release
very reactive chlorine atoms, also known as chlorine radicals (Cl·) because they contain an unpaired electron.

A chlorine atom (Cl·) reacts with an ozone molecule, taking an oxygen atom to form an oxychlorine radical
(ClO·) and leaving an oxygen molecule:

The oxychlorine radical (ClO·) can react with a second molecule of ozone to produce another chlorine
radical and two molecules of oxygen:
The cycle can repeat and continue to destroy ozone molecules until it is removed by another reaction.
In the parts of the stratosphere away from the Earth’s poles, two alternative reactions also occur. They remove
the oxychlorine and chlorine radicals by converting them into stable chlorine nitrate and hydrogen chloride
molecules:

The nitrogen dioxide and methane molecules act as natural sinks for oxychlorine and chlorine radicals. Methyl
radicals are very reactive, and quickly combine with other radicals, including chlorine atoms.
The ozone hole contracts during winter and expands over Antarctica during spring, in November. As the
temperature increases, accumulated chloric(I) acid and chlorine molecules undergo photolysis in sunlight to
form chlorine radicals which initiate the catalytic cycle for ozone depletion.
• The Ozone layer:

Repairing Ozone Highly reactive oxygen free radicals (O.)


reacts with a molecule of Oxygen to form
Depletion ozone.
• Resources: MYP by concept 4&5 Chemistry Hodder education
• Authors: Annie Termaat, Christopher Talbot.

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