Chemistry of the Atmosphere | AQA GCSE Chemistry, Higher tier (8462)
Chemistry of the Atmosphere
- 115 questions
- 6 subtopics
- Paper 2
- Paper 2
Chemistry of the Atmosphere is examined in Chemistry Paper 2.
It covers the Earth's early atmosphere, how oxygen increased and carbon dioxide decreased, the gases in today's atmosphere, and which are greenhouse gases, human activities which contribute to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, global climate change and carbon footprints and atmospheric pollutants from fuels, and their effects.
Sample questions from Chemistry of the Atmosphere
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The Earth's early atmosphere
Which gas is thought to have made up most of the Earth's early atmosphere?
Show the answer
Carbon dioxide. -
The Earth's early atmosphere
Name two gases thought to have been present in small proportions in the early atmosphere.
Show the answer
Methane and ammonia. -
How oxygen increased and carbon dioxide decreased
What happened to oxygen in the atmosphere soon after algae began to photosynthesise?
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Oxygen began to appear in the atmosphere and its percentage started to rise. -
How oxygen increased and carbon dioxide decreased
Describe the main changes in the composition of the atmosphere over the Earth's history.
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Carbon dioxide fell from being the main gas to a very small proportion, oxygen rose to about a fifth, and nitrogen built up to about four-fifths. -
The gases in today's atmosphere, and which are greenhouse gases
Name three kinds of gas that are present in the atmosphere only in small proportions.
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Carbon dioxide, water vapour and the noble gases. -
The gases in today's atmosphere, and which are greenhouse gases
Greenhouse gases are only a small proportion of the atmosphere. Explain why they still matter so much.
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Even in small proportions they absorb enough of the energy leaving the Earth to keep the surface far warmer than it would otherwise be. -
Human activities which contribute to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Explain why keeping large herds of cattle adds methane to the atmosphere.
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Methane is produced during the cattle's digestion and is released into the air. -
Human activities which contribute to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Describe one uncertainty in the evidence base for global climate change.
Show the answer
The models are simplified, so how much and how quickly the temperature will rise cannot be predicted precisely.
The 6 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The Earth's early atmosphere | Why the evidence is limited and theories keep changing, the volcanic origin of the gases and the oceans, carbon dioxide with little oxygen, the Mars and Venus comparison, and how carbon dioxide dissolved into carbonate sediments. | 18 |
| How oxygen increased and carbon dioxide decreased | Photosynthesis by algae and plants as the source of atmospheric oxygen, its word and balanced equations, when oxygen first appeared and why animals evolved later, how carbon dioxide fell through photosynthesis and the formation of sedimentary rocks and fossil fuels, and how limestone, coal, crude oil and natural gas formed. | 17 |
| The gases in today's atmosphere, and which are greenhouse gases | The composition of the atmosphere over the last 200 million years, about 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen with small proportions of carbon dioxide, water vapour and noble gases, the greenhouse gases and why they matter for life, and how the greenhouse effect traps long wavelength radiation. | 18 |
| Human activities which contribute to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere | Human activities that increase carbon dioxide and methane, including burning fossil fuels, deforestation, cattle farming, rice growing and landfill, the peer-reviewed conclusion that they cause climate change, why peer review matters, uncertainty in simplified climate models, judging and communicating evidence, and why ethical questions about climate action divide people who accept the same evidence. | 21 |
| Global climate change and carbon footprints | Rising average global temperature and how more greenhouse gases cause it, potential effects on sea levels, extreme weather, rainfall and wild species, what a carbon footprint is and how it is reduced, carbon capture and storage, cutting methane emissions, and why action may be limited. | 17 |
| Atmospheric pollutants from fuels, and their effects | Combustion of fuels as a major source of pollutants, the products of complete combustion, how carbon monoxide, soot, sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen form, the toxicity of carbon monoxide, acid rain and respiratory problems, global dimming and lung damage from particulates, and weighing hazards against benefits and perceived against measured risk. | 24 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA GCSE Chemistry, Higher tier Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,648 questions with their answers.