04/08/2022

The Atmosphere
and Climate Change
• Properties of the Atmosphere
• The Carbon Cycle
• Greenhouse and Ozone-depleting Substances
• Climate Change and it’s Effects
• Regulations Mitigating the Climate Change Effects

Atmosphere
The atmosphere helps
protect living organisms from
genetic damage by solar
ultraviolet radiation, solar
wind and cosmic rays.

It is composed of about
78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen,
0.9%, and 0.1% other gases.
Trace amounts of carbon
dioxide, methane, water
vapor, and neon are some of
the other gases that make up
the remaining 0.1 percent.

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Atmospheric gases
Atmospheric gas Significance
Nitrogen A gas which is fixed by bacteria and lightning to produce
ammonia which is used in the building of nucleotides and
amino acids (protein).
Oxygen A gas used by most organisms for cell respiration.
Argon A noble gas obtained from the air as a byproduct of the
production of oxygen and nitrogen. Other noble gases in
trace amounts are neon, helium, krypton, and xenon.
Carbon dioxide One of the trace gases and used for photosynthesis by
photosynthetic algae, plants and cyanobacteria.
Water vapour A gas found in the lower layer or altitude of the
atmosphere. It accounts for roughly 0.25% of the
atmosphere by mass.

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• Carbon forms the

structure of all life on Earth
as it makes up about 50% of
the dry weight of all life
forms.

• The carbon cycle

approximates the flows of
energy around the Earth,
and the metabolism of every
system - be it natural,
human or industrial.

• The Earth's average temperature

without the greenhouse gases
would be −33°C. Carbon, in the
form of carbon dioxide (CO2) and
methane (CH4), contribute to a
natural greenhouse effect that has
kept the planet warm enough to
evolve and support life.

• The carbon cycle plays a key role

in regulating the earth’s
global temperature and
climate by controlling the
amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
The greenhouse effect itself is a
naturally occurring phenomenon
that makes earth warm enough for
life to exist.

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Natural Greenhouse effect

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• When carbon is stored in

different natural reservoir other
than the ocean, land, or the air
particles it tends to be released
into the atmosphere as
greenhouse gases, having
an impact on climate change.

• The increased use of fossil

fuels has drawn concern in the
carbon cycle because of the
imbalance in the release and
consumption of carbon dioxide
in nature. Hence, this led to the
elevated level of
greenhouse gases.

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Human-enhanced Greenhouse effect

Drivers of greenhouse gas

production in the Carbon cycle

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• Burning of fossil fuels coming from households, industry,

electricity generation and transport

• Industrial processes and solvent use exemplified by

chemical and mining industries

• Agriculture: Most farm-related emissions come in the form of

methane (CH4) from cattle belching and nitrous oxide (N2O) from
natural or synthetic fertilizers and wastes to soils

• Waste treatment: These treatment plants produce

direct emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide
(CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O)

Anthropogenic sources
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Volcanic eruptions emit water vapor and toxic gases into the
atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide,
hydrochloric acid and carbon monoxide.

Windblown dusts or Soil dusts emitted through wind erosion and

wildfires.

Sea-salt sprays (sea salt aerosol) contribute to direct scattering of

solar radiation and is believed to be an important source of cloud
droplets in the remote marine environment.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are produced and emitted by

plants and other organisms in gaseous form, specifically composed of
carbon.

Natural sources

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Greenhouse gases
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Greenhouse gases
Gases Properties Produced or Found Effect on the climate
Carbon Dioxide A colorless odorless gas It is released through natural The excessive rise of CO2
(CO2) consisting of molecules processes like respiration and concentration in the
made up of two oxygen volcano eruptions atmosphere contribute to
atoms and one carbon atom change in temperature
Human activities such as
deforestation, land use changes,
and burning fossil fuels contribute
to its released in the environment.

Methane (CH4) A colorless, odorless non- It is produced through natural Affects climate by
toxic gas consisting of sources and human activities, such increasing Earth's
molecules made up of four as decomposition of wastes in temperature.
hydrogen atoms and one landfills, agriculture, and especially
carbon atom rice cultivation, as well as ruminant It has a global warming
digestion and manure potential of 34 compared to
management associated with 1 only for CO2 over a 100-
domestic livestock. year period.

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Gases Properties
Nitrous A colorless, non-flammable gas
Oxide with a sweetish odor, commonly
(N2O) known as "laughing gas", and
sometimes used as an anesthetic
Sulfur It is an inorganic, colorless,
Hexafluoride odorless, non-flammable, non-
(SF6) toxic but extremely potent
greenhouse gas. It is a
hypervalent molecule consists of
six fluorine atoms attached to a
central sulfur atom. SF6 is very
persistent with an atmospheric
lifetime of more than a thousand
years
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Gases Properties
Hydrofluoro- It is an organic compound that
carbons contains fluorine and hydrogen
(HFCs) atoms. It is also the most common
type of organofluorine
compounds(organic compounds)
that contain the carbon-fluorine
bond
Perfluoro- It is a group of manmade chemicals It is used as solvents in the
carbons (PFCs) composed of carbon and fluorine
only
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Greenhouse gases
Produced or Found
It is found and naturally
produced in oceans and rain
forests. It is also a powerful gas
produced by soil cultivation
practices, especially the use of
commercial and organic
fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion,
nitric acid production, and
biomass burning.
It comes from electric power
plants. It is an excellent
electrical insulator.
Greenhouse gases
Produced or Found
They are frequently used in air
conditioning and as refrigerants.
electronics industry and as
refrigerants. PFC replaces
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in
manufacturing semiconductors.
It is emitted as a by-product
during aluminum production.
04/08/2022
Effect on the climate
Nitrous oxide has an
atmospheric lifetime of 110
years. It is not only a
greenhouse gas, but also
an ozone destroyer.
It has a global warming
potential of 23,900x that
of C02 when compared over
a 100-year period. Sulfur
hexafluoride is inert in the
troposphere and
stratosphere. It has an
estimated atmosphere
lifetime of 800–3,200 years.
Effect on the climate
It contributes to global
warming, with thousands of
times the warming potential
of carbon dioxide
It is a powerful greenhouse
gase as alternatives to
ozone depleting substances
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What’s link between

greenhouse
gases and
ozone-depleting
substances?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU6pxSNDPhs&t=9s

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Ozone-depleting substances
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Ozone-depleting substances
Substance
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Halon
Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)
Methyl chloroform (CH3CCl3)
Hydrobromofluorocarbons
(HBFCs)
Methyl bromide (CH3Br)
Bromochloromethane (CH2BrCl)
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons
(HCFCs)
Uses
Use in refrigerators, air conditioners, and foams; as
aerosol propellants
Present in fire extinguishers
As dry-cleaning solvent and a refrigerant; also, in fire
extinguishers
As a solvent; present in many consumer products
In fire suppression systems
For fumigation of soil, structures and goods to be
imported or exported
As a fire extinguishing agent
In refrigerators, air conditioners, fire extinguishers and
foams; as aerosol propellants

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Climate change
It is the long-term increase in the earth’s
average surface temperature and the large-
scale changes in global, regional, and local
weather patterns.

This result from that increase, caused by a

significant increase in the levels of
greenhouse gases that are produced by the
use of fossil fuels.

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Climate Change Effects

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Are there any

regulatory bodies
for the mitigation of
the occurrence of
climate change?

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The Kyoto Protocol/Accord is an

international treaty among
industrialized nations that sets
mandatory limits on
greenhouse gas emissions.

It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan on

11 December 1997 and entered into
force on 16 February 2005. There are
currently 192 parties to the Protocol.

Its objective is to reduce the

onset of global warming by reducing
greenhouse gas concentrations in
the atmosphere to "a level that
would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference
with the climate system"

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Montreal Protocol is an
international treaty designed to
protect the ozone layer by
phasing out the production of
numerous substances that are
responsible for ozone depletion.

It was agreed on 16th September

1987, and entered into force on
1st January 1989.

It aims to regulate the production

and use of chemicals that
contribute to the depletion of
Earth's ozone layer.

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It is a comprehensive air quality management

policy and program which aims to achieve
and maintain healthy air for all Filipinos. It
also outlines the government’s measures to
reduce air pollution and incorporate
environmental protection into its
development plans.

It relies heavily on the polluter pays principle

and other market-based instruments to
promote self-regulation among the
population. It sets emission standards for all
motor vehicles and issues pollutant
limitations for industry.

These rules and regulations shall apply to all

industrial emissions and other
establishments which are potential sources of
air pollution.

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• The atmosphere has features and properties

designed to protect life from effects that may be
brought about by change in climate.

• The carbon cycle is linked with atmospheric

presence of greenhouse gases and ozone-
depleting substances that cause global warming
and climate change.

Key takeaways…..
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• Climate change can correspondingly affect the

ecosystem and life if not readily mitigated.

• There are local and global effort to lessen the

presence of greenhouse gases and ozone-
depleting substances in the atmosphere, thereby
mitigating the effects of climate change.

Key takeaways…..
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