The atmosphere contains about 5.2 x1015 t of air.  What mass in metric tons of carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere if the concentration of CO2 is 395 ppm?

(5.2 x 10^15 t) x (395 x 10^-6) = 2.1 x 10^12 t CO2

(5.2 x 10^15 t) x (395 x 10^-6) = 2.1 x 10^12 t CO2

I don't what the t stands for.

t = tonnes

To calculate the mass of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we need to consider the total mass of air in the atmosphere and the concentration of carbon dioxide. Here's how you can calculate it step by step:

1. Start by converting the concentration of carbon dioxide from parts per million (ppm) to a decimal fraction.

Concentration of CO2 = 395 ppm = 395/1,000,000 = 0.000395 (decimal fraction)

2. To find the mass of carbon dioxide, we multiply the concentration by the total mass of air in the atmosphere.

Mass of CO2 = Concentration of CO2 * Total mass of air

3. Given that the total mass of air is 5.2 x 10^15 metric tons, we can substitute it into the equation:

Mass of CO2 = 0.000395 * 5.2 x 10^15 metric tons

4. Calculate the result:

Mass of CO2 = 2.06 x 10^12 metric tons

Therefore, there are approximately 2.06 x 10^12 metric tons of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere when the concentration is 395 ppm.