Tag: geobiochemical cycle

The Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas has started melting because of global warming.

Gases like methane, nitrous oxide and water vapour also contribute towards green house effect, they are also called greenhouse gases.

Global warming can cause sea levels to rise dramatically.

All the gases above trap the heat energy and radiate energy back to the surface of the earth causing the increase in temperature.

The main source of global warming is carbon dioxide. It causes global warming by trapping heat.

$H _2O$ vapour or water vapour is a potent greenhouse gas just like carbon dioxide and methane.

Naturally occurring methane is mainly produced by the process of methanogenesis. This multistep process is used by microorganisms as an energy source. The net reaction is:

$C{ O } _{ 2 }+8H++8{ e }^{ - }→C{ H } _{ 4 }+2{ H } _{ 2 }O$

Chloroform, or trichloromethane, is an organic compound with formula $CH{ Cl } _{ 3 }$. It is a colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid.

Important conclusions on the formation of trihalomethanes are :

1. Chlorination of natural waters causes the formation of chloroform and other trihalomethanes because of the reaction of OCl−OCl− on DOC present in the water.

2.Use of both ammonia and chlorine in water treatment has reduced the level of the trihalomethanes due to the formation of the chloroamines, which react more slowly than free chlorine.

3.The concentration of the trihalomethanes above 100μμ g/l are considered unsafe for drinking water.

Alkanes (both alkanes and cycloalkanes) are virtually insoluble in water, but dissolve in organic solvents. However, liquid alkanes are good solvents for many other non-ionic organic compounds

Coal plants are the nation’s top source of carbon dioxide emissions, the primary cause of global warming. Burning coal is also a leading cause of smog, ash, acid rain, and toxic air pollution.