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Oceans

Why a molecule absorbs, concentrations in ppm, and ocean chemistry

  • 2 things to know
  • Components 01, 02 and 03

Overview

Recall questions on the dipole condition for absorption, why carbon dioxide absorbs though it has no permanent dipole, ppm, and ocean acidification.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Numbers

Methane is present at only about 1.9 ppm. Why does it still matter for the climate?

Process

How does rising atmospheric carbon dioxide change the chemistry of the oceans?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Why are nitrogen and oxygen not greenhouse gases even though they make up most of the air?

    Model answer

    They are symmetrical diatomic molecules whose only vibration produces no change in dipole moment, so they cannot absorb infrared radiation.

  2. 2

    Carbon dioxide has no permanent dipole. Why is it still a powerful greenhouse gas?

    Model answer

    Its bending and asymmetric stretching vibrations make the molecule temporarily unsymmetrical, creating a changing dipole that absorbs infrared radiation.

  3. 3

    Why is the symmetric stretch of carbon dioxide unable to absorb infrared radiation?

    Model answer

    Both bonds lengthen and shorten together, so the molecule stays symmetrical and there is no change in dipole moment.

  4. 4

    What is meant by the enhanced greenhouse effect?

    Model answer

    It is the extra warming caused when rising concentrations of greenhouse gases absorb and return more of the Earth's infrared radiation than would happen naturally.

  5. 5

    Would the Earth be habitable if there were no greenhouse effect at all?

    Model answer

    No, because almost all the infrared radiation would escape and the surface would be far too cold to support life as we know it.

  6. 6

    What does a concentration of 1 ppm mean for an atmospheric gas?

    Model answer

    It means one molecule of that gas for every million molecules of air.

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A3 ⁴₂He → ¹²₆C.
B¹²₆C + ⁴₂He → ¹⁶₈O.
C¹⁶₈O + ⁴₂He → ²⁰₁₀Ne.

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