Interpreting and interacting with earth systems

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Question 12
Medium

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is linked to chemical changes in the world's oceans.

The graph below shows how atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and ocean surface pH changed between the years 1960 and 2020.

A line graph with a dual vertical axis plotted from the year 1960 to 2020. The horizontal axis represents 'Year' with gridlines every 10 years: 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020. The left vertical axis represents 'Atmospheric CO2 concentration (ppm)' ranging from 300 to 420. The right vertical axis represents 'Ocean surface pH' ranging from 8.00 to 8.20. A solid curve for 'Atmospheric CO2' starts at 315 ppm in 1960, rises to 340 ppm in 1980, reaches 370 ppm in 2000, and climbs to 415 ppm in 2020. A dashed curve for 'Ocean surface pH' starts at 8.12 in 1960, falls to 8.10 in 1980, falls to 8.08 in 2000, and falls to 8.05 in 2020.

a.

Describe the relationship between the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and the pH of the ocean surface water.

[1]
b.

Describe and explain the link between the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and the concentration of hydrogen ions, H+\text{H}^+H+, in the ocean water.

[2]
c.

Use the graph to estimate the year in which the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was 370 ppm370\text{ ppm}370 ppm.

[2]

Interpreting and interacting with earth systems Questions

  1. GCSE
  2. /Chemistry
  3. /Interpreting and interacting with earth systems