Question 1

How has the Earth's climate changed in the past? What are some natural causes of long-term climate change? Short-term climate change?

Accepted Answer

Student answers should contain some of t

Question 2

How are pollen species used to interpret ancient environments?

Accepted Answer

A)  Each plant species is found in many different climates. 
B)  Different plant species live in different climates. 
C)  The ratio of oxygen isotopes can be measured in pollen. 
D)  Specific plant species directly track the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. 
A)  Each plant species is found in many different climates. 
B)  Different plant species live in different climates. 
C)  The ratio of oxygen isotopes can be measured in pollen. 
D)  Specific plant species directly track the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere.

Question 3

How are greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane different from other atmospheric gases like nitrogen and oxygen?

Accepted Answer

A)  Greenhouse gases absorb most of the solar energy from the Sun and reradiate it,whereas other atmospheric gases reflect it. 
B)  Greenhouse gases are more efficient at absorbing thermal energy and reradiating it than the other atmospheric gases. 
C)  Greenhouse gases block all thermal energy from leaving the atmosphere,like a greenhouse. 
D)  Greenhouse gases are part of biogeochemical cycles; other gases do not interact with living organisms. 
A)  Greenhouse gases absorb most of the solar energy from the Sun and reradiate it,whereas other atmospheric gases reflect it. 
B)  Greenhouse gases are more efficient at absorbing thermal energy and reradiating it than the other atmospheric gases. 
C)  Greenhouse gases block all thermal energy from leaving the atmosphere,like a greenhouse. 
D)  Greenhouse gases are part of biogeochemical cycles; other gases do not interact with living organisms.

Question 4

The figure below shows changes in sea level since the last ice age ended.Based on this,if the Earth were to enter another ice age similar to the last one,what would the sea level most likely do?

Accepted Answer

A)  rise about 120 m 
B)  rise about 20 m 
C)  fall about 20 m 
D)  fall about 120 m 
A)  rise about 120 m 
B)  rise about 20 m 
C)  fall about 20 m 
D)  fall about 120 m

Question 5

Discuss three lines of evidence that global climate change is currently taking place.

Accepted Answer

Student answers should include three of

Question 6

According to the figure below,how much has atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)increased in parts per million (ppm)in approximately the last 50 years?

Accepted Answer

A)  from about 310 to 320 ppm 
B)  from about 360 to 400 ppm 
C)  from about 320 to 400 ppm 
D)  from about 380 to 400 ppm 
A)  from about 310 to 320 ppm 
B)  from about 360 to 400 ppm 
C)  from about 320 to 400 ppm 
D)  from about 380 to 400 ppm

Question 7

Identify five probable outcomes of global climate change.

Accepted Answer

Student answers will vary,but can includ

Question 8

Which of the following gases has the greatest total importance in retaining heat energy in the Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  CO2 (carbon dioxide) 
B)  O3 (ozone) 
C)  NO2 (nitrous oxide) 
D)  H2O (water) 
A)  CO2 (carbon dioxide) 
B)  O3 (ozone) 
C)  NO2 (nitrous oxide) 
D)  H2O (water)

Question 9

Glacial ice cores provide a record of past temperatures based on

Accepted Answer

A)  oxygen isotopes in the ice's water molecules. 
B)  the ancient temperature still preserved in the ice. 
C)  the thickness of ice layers. 
D)  the microfossils trapped in the ice. 
A)  oxygen isotopes in the ice's water molecules. 
B)  the ancient temperature still preserved in the ice. 
C)  the thickness of ice layers. 
D)  the microfossils trapped in the ice.

Question 10

The accumulation of water into the Earth's oceans has been a(n)__________.

Accepted Answer

A)  static condition 
B)  Earth system 
C)  unidirectional change 
D)  cyclic change 
A)  static condition 
B)  Earth system 
C)  unidirectional change 
D)  cyclic change

Question 11

Which of the following best explains how the carbon cycle plays a role in climate change?

Accepted Answer

A)  The carbon cycle influences the amount of moisture in the atmosphere,which influences climate. 
B)  The amount of carbon dissolved in seawater influences ocean temperatures,and thus climate. 
C)  Changes in the carbon cycle affect the amounts of greenhouse gases,which influence climate. 
D)  Carbon in the ozone layer reflects sunlight,which influences climate. 
A)  The carbon cycle influences the amount of moisture in the atmosphere,which influences climate. 
B)  The amount of carbon dissolved in seawater influences ocean temperatures,and thus climate. 
C)  Changes in the carbon cycle affect the amounts of greenhouse gases,which influence climate. 
D)  Carbon in the ozone layer reflects sunlight,which influences climate.

Question 12

The warmest global temperatures since the last Ice Age occurred in the ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  recent period of human-induced global warming 
B)  Younger Dryas,approximately 13,000 years ago 
C)  Little Ice Age,approximately 400 years ago 
D)  Holocene Maximum,approximately 6,000 years ago 
A)  recent period of human-induced global warming 
B)  Younger Dryas,approximately 13,000 years ago 
C)  Little Ice Age,approximately 400 years ago 
D)  Holocene Maximum,approximately 6,000 years ago

Question 13

What is a biogeochemical cycle? Provide an example.

Accepted Answer

A biogeochemical cycle involves the pass

Question 14

The end of intense bombardment of the Earth's surface by asteroids was an example of a__________ change.

Accepted Answer

A)  catastrophic 
B)  gradual 
C)  unidirectional 
D)  cyclic 
A)  catastrophic 
B)  gradual 
C)  unidirectional 
D)  cyclic

Question 15

In the inset in the figure below,why is there a seasonal variation in carbon dioxide (CO2)concentrations?

Accepted Answer

A)  CO2 concentrations rise and fall as photosynthesis decreases and increases. 
B)  CO2 concentrations rise and fall in conjunction with power plant emissions. 
C)  CO2 concentrations rise and fall with variations in solar radiation. 
D)  The measurements were made in different places at different times of year. 
A)  CO2 concentrations rise and fall as photosynthesis decreases and increases. 
B)  CO2 concentrations rise and fall in conjunction with power plant emissions. 
C)  CO2 concentrations rise and fall with variations in solar radiation. 
D)  The measurements were made in different places at different times of year.

Question 16

Toxic chemicals dumped into a river are an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  greenhouse gases 
B)  smog 
C)  ozone 
D)  pollution 
A)  greenhouse gases 
B)  smog 
C)  ozone 
D)  pollution

Question 17

Sedimentary sequences bounded by unconformities that developed during widespread regression indicate that sea level is an example of _______ global change

Accepted Answer

A)  exothermic 
B)  cyclical 
C)  external 
D)  undirectional 
A)  exothermic 
B)  cyclical 
C)  external 
D)  undirectional

Question 18

The graph below is the Keeling Curve,a record of carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa beginning in 1958.What can be learned from this graph? What do the two lines (black and grey)tell us?

Accepted Answer

The Keeling Curve shows atmospheric conc

Question 19

Which of the following processes releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  photosynthesis 
B)  the weathering of silicate rocks 
C)  volcanism 
D)  the burial of organic matter 
A)  photosynthesis 
B)  the weathering of silicate rocks 
C)  volcanism 
D)  the burial of organic matter

Question 20

A biogeochemical cycle refers to the ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  long-term movement of biogeochemical minerals through the rock cycle 
B)  exchange of chemicals among magmatic and solid-phase systems 
C)  the passage of chemicals among living and nonliving systems 
D)  exchange of chemicals between landmasses and the oceans 
A)  long-term movement of biogeochemical minerals through the rock cycle 
B)  exchange of chemicals among magmatic and solid-phase systems 
C)  the passage of chemicals among living and nonliving systems 
D)  exchange of chemicals between landmasses and the oceans

Exam 19: Global Change in the Earth System

How has the Earth's climate changed in the past? What are some natural causes of long-term climate change? Short-term climate change?

How are pollen species used to interpret ancient environments?

How are greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane different from other atmospheric gases like nitrogen and oxygen?

The figure below shows changes in sea level since the last ice age ended.Based on this,if the Earth were to enter another ice age similar to the last one,what would the sea level most likely do?

Discuss three lines of evidence that global climate change is currently taking place.

According to the figure below,how much has atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)increased in parts per million (ppm)in approximately the last 50 years?

Identify five probable outcomes of global climate change.

Which of the following gases has the greatest total importance in retaining heat energy in the Earth's atmosphere?

Glacial ice cores provide a record of past temperatures based on

The accumulation of water into the Earth's oceans has been a(n)__________.

Which of the following best explains how the carbon cycle plays a role in climate change?

The warmest global temperatures since the last Ice Age occurred in the ________.

What is a biogeochemical cycle? Provide an example.

The end of intense bombardment of the Earth's surface by asteroids was an example of a__________ change.

In the inset in the figure below,why is there a seasonal variation in carbon dioxide (CO2)concentrations?

Toxic chemicals dumped into a river are an example of ________.

Sedimentary sequences bounded by unconformities that developed during widespread regression indicate that sea level is an example of _______ global change

The graph below is the Keeling Curve,a record of carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa beginning in 1958.What can be learned from this graph? What do the two lines (black and grey)tell us?

Which of the following processes releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?

A biogeochemical cycle refers to the ________.

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of the Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags,cracks,and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of the Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Introducing Rocks

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

The Rock Cycle

The Earth’s Interior Revisited: Insights from Geophysics

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Prelude: And Just What is Geology?

Filters

According to the figure below,how much has atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂)increased in parts per million (ppm)in approximately the last 50 years?

In the inset in the figure below,why is there a seasonal variation in carbon dioxide (CO₂)concentrations?