PHYS 037 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Radioactive Decay, Buckling, Subduction
6 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
The role of mass & radius: mass and size of a planet helps in determining the environment. Large planets: dead world, little activity, cool quickly, have trouble holding atmosphere, hold on to heat, have active interiors & surfaces. Mars is in the middle of this spectrum: once had water, now cold and dead. The role of water and biological processes: presence/absence of water helps determine the atmospheres nature, removes greenhouse gas from atmosphere. Too much co2 can lead to a runaway greenhouse effect. Too little co2 can cause cooling: venus, mars, biological activity impacts the environment too. Burning fossil fuels & wood releases co2. Earth"s oxygen comes from the breakdown of water and co2 by plants: release co2 and methane. The role of sunlight: distance from sun determines how much light a planet receives, sunlight warms a planet, but the atmosphere also has an impact. Venus gets of the energy per square meter that mercury does.
