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===About the Earth's Atmosphere===
: The '''Earth's Atmosphere''' is around 79% [[Nitrogen]], 20% [[Oxygen]] 1% [[Argon]] and 0.04% [[Carbon Dioxide]]. However, these [[percentage]]s vary depending on the [[humidity]] as [[Water Vapour]] can make up some of the '''Earth's Atmosphere'''.
: The '''Earth's Atmosphere''' [[Insulation|insulate]]s the [[Earth]] keeping the surface at a higher [[Mean Average|average]] [[temperature]] than if it did not have an [[atmosphere]].
: The '''Earth's Atmosphere''' protects [[organism]]s on the surface from harmful [[Cosmic Ray|cosmic rays]] and [[Solar Wind|solar wind]].
===Formation of the Earth's Atmosphere===
: The '''Earth's Atmosphere''' formed 3.9 [[billion]] [[year]]s ago.
: [[Scientist]]s believe the '''Earth's Atmosphere''' was formed from [[gas]]es released from [[Volcano]]es on the early [[Earth]].
: [[Gas]] from the early [[Earth]] has been trapped in small bubbles in [[Volcanic]] [[rock]] showing it be mostly [[Carbon Dioxide]], [[Methane]] and [[Nitrogen]].
===Evolution of the Earth's Atmosphere===
: Once [[organism]]s [[Evolution by Natural Selection|evolved]] which could get [[energy]] from sunlight via [[photosynthesis]] the [[Carbon Dioxide]] in the '''atmosphere''' decreased and [[Oxygen]] began to increase.
: [[Carbon Dioxide]] was also removed from the '''atmosphere''' when it [[dissolve]]d in the [[ocean]] and was used by some sea [[organism]]s to form hard [[Calcium Carbonate]] shells.
===Equilibrium of the Earth's Atmosphere===
: The amount of different [[gas]]es in the '''atmosphere''' have remained roughly the same for the last 3 million years due to a balance of processes which either add [[gas]]es to the '''atmosphere''' or remove it.
: [[Carbon Dioxide]] is constantly produced by [[volcano]]es, [[combustion]] and [[respiration]], but it removed from the [[atmosphere]] by [[photosynthesis]] and [[dissolve|dissolving]] in the [[ocean]].
: [[Oxygen]] is constantly produced by [[photosynthesis]] but removed by [[combustion]] and [[respiration]].
===Human effects on the Atmosphere===
: The equilibrium of [[gas]]es has been affected by [[combustion]] and other industrial processes caused by [[human]]s.
: Before the [[Industrial Revolution|industrial revolution]] the amount of [[Carbon Dioxide]] in the '''atmosphere''' was 0.02%. Since then, due to the [[combustion]] of [[Fossil Fuel|fossil fuels]] it has increased to 0.04% which [[scientist]]s believe is causing the [[Mean Average|average]] global [[temperature]] to increase.