Question 1

Milankovitch cycles describe variation in Earth's ________.

Accepted Answer

A) sea level 
B) orbit and tilt 
C) atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations 
D) cosmic-ray flux 
A) sea level 
B) orbit and tilt 
C) atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations 
D) cosmic-ray flux

Question 2

A runaway greenhouse effect is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) a positive feedback mechanism 
B) a negative feedback mechanism 
C) the hydrologic cycle 
D) a steady-state condition 
A) a positive feedback mechanism 
B) a negative feedback mechanism 
C) the hydrologic cycle 
D) a steady-state condition

Question 3

A crater in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula may be the result of an impact that brought about the extinction of numerous species at the end of the ________ Period.

Accepted Answer

A) Silurian 
B) Jurassic 
C) Cretaceous 
D) Tertiary 
A) Silurian 
B) Jurassic 
C) Cretaceous 
D) Tertiary

Question 4

Which geologic event is NOT suspected as a source of major climate change and mass-extinction events?

Accepted Answer

A) the massive eruption of flood basalts 
B) the eruption of supervolcanoes 
C) the impact of asteroids 
D) very large earthquakes 
A) the massive eruption of flood basalts 
B) the eruption of supervolcanoes 
C) the impact of asteroids 
D) very large earthquakes

Question 5

According to the figure below,approximately how much has the sea level risen since the last ice age ended,approximately 16,000 years ago?

Accepted Answer

A) 110 m 
B) 60 m 
C) 20 m 
D) 15 m 
A) 110 m 
B) 60 m 
C) 20 m 
D) 15 m

Question 6

The presence of liquid water on Earth's surface is ________.

Accepted Answer

A) not surprising because most other bodies in the Solar System have liquid water 
B) not surprising because all planets in the Solar System have liquid water 
C) unique in the Solar System but an inherent feature of Earth that would be found regardless of the Earth-Sun distance 
D) unique in the Solar System;liquid water would not have developed had Earth been much closer to or much farther from the Sun 
A) not surprising because most other bodies in the Solar System have liquid water 
B) not surprising because all planets in the Solar System have liquid water 
C) unique in the Solar System but an inherent feature of Earth that would be found regardless of the Earth-Sun distance 
D) unique in the Solar System;liquid water would not have developed had Earth been much closer to or much farther from the Sun

Question 7

The primary cause of recent global warming is believed to be ________.

Accepted Answer

A) chemical reactions in the atmosphere that are driven by solar heat 
B) increased burning of fossil fuels 
C) increased levels of atmospheric pollution 
D) depletion of the ozone layer 
A) chemical reactions in the atmosphere that are driven by solar heat 
B) increased burning of fossil fuels 
C) increased levels of atmospheric pollution 
D) depletion of the ozone layer

Question 8

Oxygen-18 and oxygen-16 are useful in studying past climates because ________.

Accepted Answer

A) ozone formation and decay depend on the ratio of oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 
B) both water and calcite contain oxygen 
C) oxygen ratios are directly related to carbon dioxide (CO₂)levels 
D) more oxygen-18 is stored in glacial ice when temperatures drop 
A) ozone formation and decay depend on the ratio of oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 
B) both water and calcite contain oxygen 
C) oxygen ratios are directly related to carbon dioxide (CO₂)levels 
D) more oxygen-18 is stored in glacial ice when temperatures drop

Question 9

Natural carbon sinks have generally matched the production of carbon dioxide until ________.

Accepted Answer

A) the end of the last ice age,approximately 16,000 years ago 
B) the Little Ice Age,approximately 400 years ago 
C) approximately 1900 
D) the Eocene Epoch,approximately 50 million years ago 
A) the end of the last ice age,approximately 16,000 years ago 
B) the Little Ice Age,approximately 400 years ago 
C) approximately 1900 
D) the Eocene Epoch,approximately 50 million years ago

Question 10

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 11

Which greenhouse gas has the greatest total importance in retaining radiant energy from Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) CO₂ (carbon dioxide) 
B) O₃ (ozone) 
C) CH₄ (methane) 
D) H₂O (water) 
A) CO₂ (carbon dioxide) 
B) O₃ (ozone) 
C) CH₄ (methane) 
D) H₂O (water)

Question 12

How are carbon dioxide (CO₂)levels in the atmosphere affected by tectonic uplift of rocks and their resultant chemical weathering?

Accepted Answer

A) CO₂ is removed from the atmosphere. 
B) CO₂ is added to the atmosphere. 
C) CO₂ is removed from the atmosphere by uplift,but returned to the atmosphere by chemical weathering. 
D) They have no net effect on CO₂. 
A) CO₂ is removed from the atmosphere. 
B) CO₂ is added to the atmosphere. 
C) CO₂ is removed from the atmosphere by uplift,but returned to the atmosphere by chemical weathering. 
D) They have no net effect on CO₂.

Question 13

Models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change show that by the year 2100,the average annual temperature will have increased in some parts of the world by as much as ________.

Accepted Answer

A) 1°C 
B) 2°C 
C) 4°C 
D) 8°C 
A) 1°C 
B) 2°C 
C) 4°C 
D) 8°C

Question 14

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 15

Which of the following is an important long-term (i.e.,spans tens of millions of years)factor in global climate change?

Accepted Answer

A) a decrease in albedo because of aerosols from volcanic eruptions 
B) variation in Milankovitch orbital parameters 
C) variation in the abundance of sunspots 
D) the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide 
A) a decrease in albedo because of aerosols from volcanic eruptions 
B) variation in Milankovitch orbital parameters 
C) variation in the abundance of sunspots 
D) the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide

Question 16

A blogger writes that global warming is not real,noting that his or her city had its coldest ever-recorded temperature last winter.The correct statement would be that the blogger is ________.

Accepted Answer

A) correct,because global warming is not occurring 
B) correct,because global warming is occurring only in the polar regions 
C) incorrect,because the blogger is confusing weather with climate 
D) incorrect,because global warming is measured only during the summer 
A) correct,because global warming is not occurring 
B) correct,because global warming is occurring only in the polar regions 
C) incorrect,because the blogger is confusing weather with climate 
D) incorrect,because global warming is measured only during the summer

Question 17

In the last few decades,global warming has been most strongly affecting climate and wildlife of ________ regions.

Accepted Answer

A) equatorial 
B) temperate 
C) polar 
D) deep-sea 
A) equatorial 
B) temperate 
C) polar 
D) deep-sea

Question 18

Sedimentary sequences,which are bounded by unconformities,record global sea level rise and fall with variations in ________.

Accepted Answer

A) fossil content 
B) the coarseness of clastic sediments/sedimentary rocks 
C) carbon content 
D) coal grade 
A) fossil content 
B) the coarseness of clastic sediments/sedimentary rocks 
C) carbon content 
D) coal grade

Question 19

The reliable paleoclimate record from the Antarctic and Greenland ice cores provides information back to approximately ________ years ago.

Accepted Answer

A) 65 million 
B) 5 million 
C) 700,000 
D) 150,000 
A) 65 million 
B) 5 million 
C) 700,000 
D) 150,000

Question 20

Why do ocean water and sea ice have very different effects on air temperatures?

Accepted Answer

A) Ocean water reflects solar energy much more effectively than sea ice. 
B) Ocean water absorbs solar energy much more effectively than sea ice. 
C) Ocean water is more difficult to heat than sea ice. 
D) Ocean water is easier to heat than sea ice. 
A) Ocean water reflects solar energy much more effectively than sea ice. 
B) Ocean water absorbs solar energy much more effectively than sea ice. 
C) Ocean water is more difficult to heat than sea ice. 
D) Ocean water is easier to heat than sea ice.

Exam 23: Global Change in the Earth System

Milankovitch cycles describe variation in Earth's ________.

A runaway greenhouse effect is an example of ________.

A crater in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula may be the result of an impact that brought about the extinction of numerous species at the end of the ________ Period.

Which geologic event is NOT suspected as a source of major climate change and mass-extinction events?

According to the figure below,approximately how much has the sea level risen since the last ice age ended,approximately 16,000 years ago?

The presence of liquid water on Earth's surface is ________.

The primary cause of recent global warming is believed to be ________.

Oxygen-18 and oxygen-16 are useful in studying past climates because ________.

Natural carbon sinks have generally matched the production of carbon dioxide until ________.

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

Which greenhouse gas has the greatest total importance in retaining radiant energy from Earth?

How are carbon dioxide (CO₂)levels in the atmosphere affected by tectonic uplift of rocks and their resultant chemical weathering?

Models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change show that by the year 2100,the average annual temperature will have increased in some parts of the world by as much as ________.

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

Which of the following is an important long-term (i.e.,spans tens of millions of years)factor in global climate change?

A blogger writes that global warming is not real,noting that his or her city had its coldest ever-recorded temperature last winter.The correct statement would be that the blogger is ________.

In the last few decades,global warming has been most strongly affecting climate and wildlife of ________ regions.

Sedimentary sequences,which are bounded by unconformities,record global sea level rise and fall with variations in ________.

The reliable paleoclimate record from the Antarctic and Greenland ice cores provides information back to approximately ________ years ago.

Why do ocean water and sea ice have very different effects on air temperatures?

Cosmology and the Birth of Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

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

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources

Riches in Rock: 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

An Envelope of Gas: Earths Atmosphere and Climate

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Introducing Rocks

a Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

the Rock Cycle in the Earth System

the Earths Interior, revisited: Seismic Layering, gravity, and the Magnetic Field

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Filters