is CO2 heavier than air... how does it get into the upper atmos?

Answer 1

The Earth's oceans contain a huge amount of carbon dioxide in the form of bicarbonate and carbonate ions—much more than the amount in the atmosphere. The bicarbonate is produced in reactions between rock, water, and carbon dioxide. One example is the dissolution of calcium carbonate:

(see diagram: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:CO2_pump_hg.png)

Reactions like this tend to buffer changes in atmospheric CO2. However, since it produces an acidic compound, the pH of sea water is thought to go down with increasing carbon dioxide levels. Reactions between carbon dioxide and non-carbonate rocks also add bicarbonate to the seas, which can later undergo the reverse of the above reaction to form carbonate rocks, releasing half of the bicarbonate as CO2. Over hundreds of millions of years this has produced huge quantities of carbonate rocks.

The vast majority of CO2 added to the atmosphere will eventually be absorbed by the oceans and become bicarbonate ion, but the process takes on the order of a hundred years because most seawater rarely comes near the surface.

As the oceans warm, carbon dioxide solubility in the surface waters decreases markedly. However, the overall system is quite complex, as indicated above, and further details may be found in the article on the carbon solubility pump.


I hope this was the answer you were after.

Answer 2

It is heavy enough to smother a hot fire.Just like u put a fire proof blanket over the fire. The plains put of a lot of CO2 but it falls like a rock.In order for the plants to recycle our air ,it just would not work. It is so heavy ,if u try to measure it u must get right on the ground. I was in a closed building with a small fire and we got a 75CF. extinguisher to work but it had started to scatter some so we used it all. My mechanic thought that they may be sparks under a panel so he got on his knees to look at it. With just one breath and he was out. 80% was in 6 in of the floor. I picked hem up and he did not what happened.

Answer 3

Listen to Janette.
Explained it beautifully.
Goodnight.
(Points to Janette.)