The Atmosphere

By any instrament is it judged from a point to determine if it is growing further as a gaseous envelope in altitude? Or has it gotten as far as it will be to its ending altitude point? Or is it shrinking?

[edit on 21-4-2008 by Mabus]

Interesting doubt.

I am not aware of any measurements, but I do not see any reason why it should change.

I will see if I can find anything about it.

Constant components
(proportions remain the same over time and location)
Nitrogen (N2)
78.08%
Oxygen (O2)
20.95%
Argon (Ar)
0.93%
Neon, Helium, Krypton
0.0001%
Variable components
(amounts vary over time and location)
Carbon dioxide (CO2) 0.038%
Water vapor (H20) 0-4%
Methane (CH4) trace
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) trace
Ozone (O3) trace
Nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2) trace


please people note co2....

trace gas CO2 is....
were's your global warming now?

also please remember that the earths atmosphere will not change with human intervention!

You can't create more co2 it's already on this planet in some sort or another!

As is oxygen and everything else!

Im cool woth recycling as there is only so much landfill we can actual fill but to tax me on fabrication i say Woah!!!!

Originally posted by ian990003100
please people note co2....

trace gas CO2 is....
were's your global warming now?

0.038% is still a significant amount, chap. Atmospheric CO2 has increased and a massive increase is unnecessary to effect change.

Please also not the "trace" amounts of O3 (less than CO2), yet it plays an important role in absorbing UV rays.

Originally posted by ian990003100
also please remember that the earths atmosphere will not change with human intervention!

Actually, it can. Human activity caused a dramatic decrease in the amount of O3 in the atmosphere, causing huge holes where UV radiation could penetrate.

Originally posted by ian990003100
You can't create more co2 it's already on this planet in some sort or another!

CO2 does exist, as it is expired by all living things, but extra CO2 can be created. It is created when you burn carbon-based molecules in the presence of Oxygen.

Saying you cannot create CO2 is just plain dumb and shows you know little about chemistry.

im sorry my right honarable friend is mistaken!



The co2 is already present! think about it!

reply to post by ian990003100


Yes, but only as a result of a chemical reaction, be it breathing or burning something.

What do you think is released when you burn coal? Do you think coal contains CO2?

coal

Coal is the fuel present in largest quantity on earth. It is basically carbon, left over from bacterial action upon decaying plant matter in the absence of oxygen, usually under silt and water. Over millions of years the bacterial action and pressure compact the organic material, which steadily loses moisture. The original oxygen of the organic compounds is also lost along with most but not all of the original nitrogen and hydrogen, leaving the carbon.

burn coal? you ask ermmm the oxygen is needed to light the coal yes but urmmm guess what its already in the atmosphere we are not creating more co2 it's already present just not released... and guess what for every tonne of coal we burn plant life converts it back to oxygen even with all the trees being chopped down... oceans soak up co2 the weather system releases more co2 its a cycle!!!

please remember we have less active volcanoes!

the atmosphere is still here after billions of years....co2 is not the problem if you reallt must know we have got the age of the sun wrong. the whole solar system is heating up because the sun is. our sun is verging on 2/3rds life no need to panick but our govs are buying time they know we have years ahead but saving our atmosphere right now might buy them 100years give or to take....

reply to post by ian990003100


Dude, you have a fundamental lack of understanding about how CO2 is released.

The carbon in coal is part of larger molecules. When burnt in the presence of oxygen, the carbon atoms are released and bind with the oxygen covalently to form CO2. The CO2 isn't actually present in the coal, it is a byproduct of combustion. The same applies with CO2 expired by plants and animals. It is produced as a by product of metabolic processed.

So by burning fossil fuels, the carbon binds with oxygen to form new CO2 molecules.

CO2 levels in the atmosphere have increased by 30% since the 1700's, that is fact.

The ocean has only, on estimate, soaked up 30% of all CO2 released as a by product of fossil fuel burning.

Plant life doesn't, on the whole, have any effect on CO2 levels, as during the day it absorbs it in and during the night it expires it, leaving a net effect of almost bugger all change. Thats why the whole carbon trading thing is bollocks as countries with large forests can claim to be able to "sink" CO2, but that only happens during daylight hours. The CO2 is all released again during the night.

reply to post by ian990003100


ian990003100 --

You're probably thinking of the element "carbon". It is created in stars and cannot easily be 'destroyed' (transformed into other elements).

The compound "carbon dioxide" on the other hand can be created and 'destroyed' (broken down into carbon and oxygen) through many natural chemical processes that are happening all around you, such as photosynthesis:
6(H2O) + 6(CO2) -----> C6H12O6 + 6(O2)

6 molecules of water combine with 6 molecues of cardon dioxide to form one molecule of sugar (C6H12O6) with 6 molecules of oxygen given off as a by-product.

The original carbon and oxygen atoms from the original CO2 still exists, but they exist as part of the sugar molecule and the oxygen by-product -- although the Carbon Dioxide molecule no longer exists.


The process of Fermentation CREATES Carbon dioxide from sugars:

C6H12O6 -----> 2(CH3CH2OH) + 2(CO2)

In this process a sugar (C6H12O6) breaks down into 2 alcohol molecules (CH3CH2OH) and 2 cardon dioxide molecules (CO2) .

The carbon dioxide molecles did not exist until the chemical reaction (fermentation) took place, but the atoms of carbon and oxygen existed within the sugar melocule.


As you can see from both of these examples that the SAME NUMBER OF EACH ATOM exists on both sides of the reaction, so you would be correct in saying that carbon is neither created nor destroyed in these chemical reactions (neither is hydrogen nor oxygen created or destroyed). But you can't say the same thing for the molecules themselves, such as Carbon Dioxide


[edit on 4/22/2008 by Soylent Green Is People]

[edit on 4/22/2008 by Soylent Green Is People]