Deck 21: Global Climate Change

Question 1

Which oxygen isotope would be concentrated in glacial ice?

A)₁₆O
B)₁₇O
C)₁₈O

Answer 1

A

Question 2

________ is the study and reconstruction of past climates through the use of proxy data.

A)Climatology
B)Hydrology
C)Glaciology
D)Paleoclimatology

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following spheres is not part of the climate system?

A)Cryosphere
B)Asthenosphere
C)Hydrosphere
D)Biosphere

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The ________ refers to water in solid form, such as ice and snow that exists on the Earth's surface.

A)Cryosphere
B)Atmosphere
C)Geosphere
D)Biosphere

Question 5

What is the molecule for ozone?

A)O₂
B)CO₂
C)O₃
D)H₂O

Question 6

________ are small solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere.

A)Sunspots
B)Radiosondes
C)CFCs
D)Aerosols

Question 7

Which two gases make up the majority of the atmosphere?

A)Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide
B)Neon and Methane
C)Hydrogen and Helium
D)Nitrogen and Oxygen

Question 8

How can tree rings provide information about past climates?

A)Thickness and spacing of tree rings reflect environmental conditions
B)Tree rings turn colors depending on the climate
C)Tree rings trap gas bubbles that can be used to interpret atmospheric conditions
D)Tree rings can measure past CO₂ concentrations

Question 9

What materials are sampled to study ¹⁶O:¹⁸O ratios during past climates?

A)Sea sediments
B)Tree rings
C)Marine microorganisms
D)Atmosphere

Question 10

Which planktonic marine organism, often found in sea sediments, can be used to make interpretations about past climates?

A)Foraminifera
B)Clams
C)Fish
D)Algae

Question 11

What percentage of solar radiation is reflected back into outer space by the albedo of the Earth?

A)30%
B)20%
C)100%
D)50%

Question 12

What material makes up the shells of many marine microorganisms?

A)NO₂
B)CaCO₃
C)SiO₂
D)NaCl

Question 13

Which of the following oxygen isotopes is the most common?

A)₁₆O
B)₁₇O
C)₁₈O

Question 14

In which layer of the atmosphere is the ozone layer found?

A)Troposphere
B)Stratosphere
C)Thermosphere
D)Mesosphere

Question 15

Which of the following best illustrates the connection between climate and geologic processes?

A)Water coming off a cooling magma emplaces metallic ores
B)Hydrothermal vents near a mid-ocean rift create chimneys of mineral deposits
C)Heavy rainfalls trigger debris flows
D)Arid climates make sea level drop

Question 16

What percentage of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide?

A)0)0400%
B)0)152%
C)1%
D)5%

Question 17

Why is the use of proxy data necessary when studying past climate change?

A)Modern recording instruments are skewed by pollutants in the atmosphere
B)Modern data has been biased by religious influence or political ideologies
C)Instrumental records only go back a couple of centuries and are more incomplete the older they are
D)Geological and atmospheric changes occurring at the time work differently than today

Question 18

Which of the following can be used as a marine paleothermometer?

A)Tree rings
B)Pollen
C)Coral
D)Aerosols

Question 19

________ are often the best-preserved, most easily identifiable plant remains in sediments and can be used to interpret the paleoclimate.

A)Corals
B)Trees
C)Seeds
D)Pollen

Question 20

Which of the following is not one of the three paths taken by incoming solar radiation?

A)Radiation passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed by the surface.
B)Radiation is deflected by the magnetic field.
C)Radiation is reflected back into space by clouds, atmosphere, snow, and ice.
D)Radiation is absorbed by clouds and atmospheric gases.

Question 21

How can agriculture be responsible for increasing the amount of methane in the atmosphere?

A)Crops like corn and soybeans add methane to the atmosphere
B)Methane is emitted by bacteria in the gut of agricultural animals, such as cattle and sheep
C)Overtilling the land will cause the soil to break down and release greenhouse gases
D)Fumes from liquid fertilizer are opening holes in the ozone

Question 22

The higher temperatures during the Cretaceous Period were the result of ________.

A)the Milankovich Cycle
B)additional carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
C)increased sunspot activity
D)changing locations of continents

Question 23

What was the approximate increase in global temperature during the 20^th century?

A)0)5°C
B)0)8°C
C)1)0°C
D)1)5°C

Question 24

According to research, how high has sea level risen since 1870?

A)7 cm
B)10 cm
C)1 cm
D)25 cm

Question 25

How will explosive volcanic eruptions affect global temperatures?

A)Temperatures will raise
B)Temperatures will lower
C)Temperatures will remain the same

Question 26

Which of the following trace gases is not natural to the atmosphere and is purely the result of human activities?

A)Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
B)Nitrous oxide
C)Krypton
D)Methane

Question 27

What substance is responsible for the increasing concentrations of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere?

A)Coolants in refrigerators
B)Fertilizers
C)Fossil fuels
D)Nuclear waste

Question 28

The Maunder Minimum occurred at the same time as the ________ and has been used by some to explain the cooling temperatures during that period.

A)Industrial Revolution
B)Cretaceous Period
C)Medieval Warm Period
D)Little Ice Age

Question 29

What is the source of black carbon aerosols?

A)Petroleum
B)Soot
C)Bacteria
D)Mineral deposits

Question 30

If the Earth had no atmosphere, what would the average temperature of the planet be?

A)Above boiling
B)25°C
C)10°C
D)Below freezing

Question 31

Sunspots occur in cycles with the maximum number of sunspots occurring about every ________ years.

A)five
B)nine
C)eleven
D)fifteen

Question 32

Which of the following is not part of the Milankovich Cycle, which would affect climate change by reducing the distribution of incoming solar radiation?

A)Obliquity
B)Accretion
C)Eccentricity
D)Precession

Question 33

If CFCs have not been widely used since the late 20^th century, why are they considered a major greenhouse gas in the 21^st century?

A)Although they have been banned, they are being use illegally
B)CFCs are released by a number of natural processes, such as volcanoes
C)Greenhouse gases such as methane will break down into CFCs
D)CFCs can stay in the atmosphere for decades

Question 34

Which of the following trace gases does not contribute to climate change?

A)CFCs
B)Nitrous oxide
C)Krypton
D)Methane

Question 35

Which process has been largely responsible for increasing the amount of CO₂ in the last 200 years?

A)Increasing cattle ranching worldwide
B)Disintegration of petroleum-based plastics
C)Use of industrial fertilizers
D)Burning of fossil fuels

Question 36

When eccentricity, obliquity, and precession are all overlapping to have the most significant impact on the Earth's climate, what is happening to the climate?

A)Climate is cooling
B)Climate is warming
C)Climate is stagnant

Question 37

Temperature increases in polar regions are going to be ________ the global average.

A)lower than
B)greater than
C)equal to

Question 38

How will melting permafrost in polar regions lead to a positive feedback loop that will continue to warm the climate, which will allow for more permafrost to melt?

A)Buried CFCs will be released from contaminants in frozen vegetation
B)Methane will be released as the vegetation thaws
C)Nitrous oxide will be trapped in the meltwater generated and pulled out of the atmosphere
D)Carbon dioxide is sequestered in the water infiltrating the landscape

Question 39

How will seasonal changes affect the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere?

A)There will be less CO₂ in the atmosphere in winter than in summer
B)The levels of CO₂ are constant no matter the season
C)There will be more CO₂ in the atmosphere in winter than in summer

Question 40

What effect will black carbon deposits have on glacial ice?

A)Black carbon will insulate the ice, preserving it
B)Black carbon will slow the rate of melting
C)Black carbon will absorb more heat, increasing melting
D)Black carbon has no effect on glacial ice

Question 41

Why would increasing acidity of the ocean be a problem?

A)Acid would dissolve calcium carbonate shells or sea organisms
B)Acid will increase the rate of seafloor spreading
C)Acid decreases the stability of basaltic rocks on the ocean floor
D)Acid would be evaporated and create clouds that precipitate acid rain

Question 42

The sun emits slightly more solar radiation during a period of high sunspot activity.

Question 43

Water vapor is a greenhouse gas.

Question 44

Sea level rise is a combination of ________ and ________ as the climate becomes warmer.

A)freezing ice; increasing salinity
B)evaporation; sublimation
C)melting ice; thermal expansion
D)plate tectonics; mountain uplift

Question 45

Ice cores taken from glaciers show higher concentrations of ¹⁸O in the ice deposited during colder climates.

Question 46

Trapped air in glaciers record atmospheric composition through time.

Question 47

What will be produced when carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater?

A)Calcium carbonate
B)Sulfuric acid
C)Carbonic acid
D)Sodium chloride

Question 48

Dust storms can carry enough dust into the atmosphere to create aerosols.

Question 49

Which coastline will be more significantly impacted by sea level change: the Pacific Coast or the Atlantic Coast?

A)The Pacific Coast - there are more people living there
B)The Atlantic Coast - it has a gently sloping shoreline
C)The Pacific Coast - it has a steeply sloping shoreline
D)The Atlantic Coast - there are more buildings along the shoreline

Question 50

Increasing amounts of CO₂ in the atmosphere results in increased global temperatures.

Question 51

The concentration of methane in the atmosphere has been shown to be increasing for the last 1,000 years, indicating that humans are not responsible for its generation.

Question 52

Nearly all the energy that drives the Earth's climate comes from the Sun.

Question 53

How will increasing atmospheric CO₂ affect the properties of seawater?

A)Seawater will have higher salinity
B)Seawater will have lower density
C)Seawater will have higher surface tension
D)Seawater will have lower pH

Question 54

The climate system involves energy and moisture exchanges between five Earth spheres: biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere.

Question 55

Computer models are not infallible at predicting climate change because they use simplified versions of the Earth to create the model.

Question 56

Nitrogen makes up the largest percentage of the atmosphere.

Question 57

Small sea level rise on a shore with a gentle slope will cause a substantial shift in shoreline location.

Question 58

Changes that occur in one part of the climate system are isolated and will have no part on the remainder of the system.

Question 59

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there is a 90-99% probability that increases in global temperatures are due to the increase in human-generated greenhouse gases.

Question 60

Climate is the state of the atmosphere at a given time in a given place over a short period of time.

Question 61

How can historical records be used to analyze past climates?

Question 62

How do humans contribute to climate change today?

Question 63

How do weather and climate differ?

Question 64

Compare the greenhouse effect on Earth to that on planetary bodies such as the Moon and Venus.

Question 65

How did the 1815 eruption of Tambora have global implications for climate change? Was this temporary or permanent?

Question 66

How can the changing location of continents affect climate change?

Question 67

Why is the Earth heated primarily by radiation from the Earth's surface?

Question 68

Which of the following locations experienced a cooling climate during the period from 1950-2014?

A)Eastern Brazil
B)Off the coast of Antarctica
C)North Central Canada
D)Northern Asia

Question 69

How does the residence time of aerosols in the atmosphere compare to that of greenhouse gases?

Question 70

How can the ratios of oxygen isotopes be used to indicate past climate change? What marine substance can be tested for its oxygen ratios?

Question 71

Explain how the greenhouse effect works and how it warms the atmosphere.

Question 72

How does air pressure change with elevation in the atmosphere? Why does air pressure change with elevation in the atmosphere?

Question 73

Which decade (so far)has seen the most significant total increase in temperature so far?

A)1960s
B)1980s
C)2000s
D)2010s

Question 74

What are sunspots? How can sunspots affect the climate on Earth?

Question 75

Compare and contrast fossil pollen, tree-growth rings, and corals as three proxies for determining paleoclimate.

Question 76

Which will have a greater impact on global temperatures: volcanic ash or volcanic gases? Why?

Question 77

Explain how melting glacial ice will result in a positive feedback mechanism for climate.

Question 78

Explain why even small changes in sea level will have a profound effect on human civilizations.

Question 79

Compare and contrast positive climate-feedback mechanisms and negative climate-feedback mechanisms.

Question 80

Is the greenhouse effect a completely bad thing for the planet? Why or why not?