Why does Earth have so little carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, when Earth should have outgassed about as much of it as Venus?

What will be an ideal response?


The answer to this question is that Earth has oceans. Carbon dioxide can dissolve in water, and the oceans actually contain much more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere. However, most of the carbon dioxide is locked up in rocks on the seafloor. Rainfall erodes rocks on Earth's surface. These rocks react with dissolved carbon dioxide in the oceans to form carbonate minerals, which fall to the ocean floor.

Physics & Space Science

You might also like to view...

If the magnitude difference between one star and another is 7, the stars differ in brightness by a factor of

a. 2.51. b. 18. c. 6. d. 628.

Physics & Space Science

Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum generally gives us our best views of stars forming in dusty clouds?

A) infrared B) visible light C) ultraviolet D) blue light

Physics & Space Science

An object is placed 40 cm in front of a lens of focal length 40 cm. A second lens is placed 17 cm beyond the first. An image forms 48 cm past the second lens. The lateral magnification of this system is

A) -2.8. B) -1.2. C) 1.2. D) 2.8. E) impossible to determine with the information given.

Physics & Space Science

The peak of Mt. Everest, at 10,900 m, is the highest point above sea level in the world. What is its elevation in miles? (1.00 m = 3.281 ft)

A) 17.6 mi B) 0.630 mi C) 6.77 mi D) 6.20 mi E) 67.1 mi

Physics & Space Science