The Total Mass of the Atmosphere Per Unit Area Is $F = m a$

question 8

Essay

The total mass of the atmosphere per unit area is equal to the atmospheric pressure at the surface of the earth divided by the gravitational acceleration. This follows from Newton's law $F = m a$ . Assume that all carbon in the atmosphere is in the form of $\mathrm { CO } _ { 2 }$ and that the current concentration (in ppm per volume) is $400 \mathrm { ppm }$ . What is the total mass of carbon in the atmosphere?

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