Deck 15: Climate Change

Question 1

The layer of atmosphere immediately above the earth where weather events occur is called the

A) troposphere.
B) ionosphere.
C) stratosphere.
D) mesosphere.

Answer 1

troposphere.

Question 2

Carbon dioxide is a major factor in the global warming story since it

A) creates its own heat through a poorly understood reaction.
B) releases energy as a result of molecular decay.
C) absorbs more infrared radiation than it emits.
D) is present in the atmosphere in incredibly large quantity.

Answer 2

absorbs more infrared radiation than it emits.

Question 3

Climate is a description of ________ weather conditions.

A) Long-term regional
B) Stable and unchanging
C) Temporary
D) Temporary local
E) Annual

Answer 3

Long-term regional

Question 4

The most recent major international study of anthropogenic influence on global climate concluded

A) temperature changes of less than 5 degrees Celsius would not produce discernable changes in climate.
B) the current warm-up is most likely within the normal range of natural climatic fluctuations.
C) a human influence on global climate is discernable.
D) that weather patterns are changing, but not climate.

Question 5

Surfaces that reflect energy have a high albedo.

Question 6

Increased atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide resulting from human activities appear to be producing climatic warming.

Question 7

The pattern of absorbance of solar energy by the atmosphere includes

A) heavy absorbance of visible light by carbon dioxide.
B) absorbance of infrared radiation by carbon dioxide and water vapor.
C) a remarkable uniformity in the proportion of different kinds of wavelengths absorbed by ozone.

Question 8

The movement of energy from the tropics toward the pole is accomplished principally by all of the following except

A) the movement of water vapor toward the poles.
B) ocean currents.
C) the movement of air masses toward the poles.
D) seasonal changes.

Question 9

A monsoon is characterized by all of the following except

A) oceans heat up at different rates than continents.
B) oceans cool at the same rates as continents.
C) prevailing wind directions seasonally reverse.
D) large bodies of water are a central ingredient.

Question 10

Of the 20 hottest years ever recorded, _______ of them occurred since 1980.

A) 19
B) 17
C) 15
D) 13

Question 11

Historical evidence suggests that substantive climate change

A) nearly always has occurred over several million years.
B) is very new, limited in appearance to the last few centuries.
C) can happen in as short a period as a few decades.
D) nearly always occurs only during pronounced movement of tectonic plates.

Question 12

Which developed nation has not signed the Kyoto Protocol?

A) France
B) Japan
C) USA
D) Germany

Question 13

Nitrogen is the most abundant component of the air we breathe.

Question 14

Convection currents

A) move energy within the atmosphere.
B) are the main cause of evaporation of water.
C) are particularly strong ocean currents having substantial effects on coastal weather.

Question 15

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is

A) a group of U.S. government scientists.
B) an ad hoc group of government environmentalists.
C) a United Nations working group of 2500 scientists around the world.
D) a group of European meteorologists and Earth scientists.

Question 16

Hurricanes and typhoons are similar phenomena that occur in different parts of the world.

Question 17

The greenhouse effect refers to

A) the gradual warming of the earth due to anthropogenic causes.
B) a natural phenomenon that keeps the earth's atmosphere warm.
C) environmental change.
D) albedo.

Question 18

The idea of breaking down the solution to the larger problem of climate change into smaller more manageable pieces or goals is known as

A) the Coriolis effect.
B) wedge analysis.
C) regression analysis.
D) adaptation.

Question 19

Organisms are currently responding to climate change by extending their range into new territories.

Question 20

The earth's earliest atmosphere was probably composed mainly of __________, which has/have since largely dissipated into space.

A) Hydrogen and helium
B) Carbon dioxide and methane
C) Oxygen
D) Water
E) Nitrogen and sulfur

Question 21

In the diagram, which layer has the most mixing of air?

A) I
B) II
C) III
D) IV
E) The most mixing of air is found in the border between II and III

Question 22

The greenhouse effect in the atmosphere occurs because

A) Clouds reflect sunlight back into space
B) Oceans absorb heat, and then release it slowly at night
C) Stratospheric ozone absorbs UV radiation
D) CO₂, water vapor, methanol, and other gases absorb infrared radiation
E) All of these are correct

Question 23

Convection currents in the atmosphere are driven by

A) The different temperatures and densities of warm and cold air masses
B) The jet stream dipping down into the troposphere
C) Forces that scientists cannot yet explain
D) Bursts of energy emitted by the ionosphere
E) The surface winds, which in turn are influenced by the Coriolis effect

Question 24

The "ozone hole" that causes concern among scientists and the public is an ozone depletion in the

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

Question 25

Intense sunlight causes a band of hot, rising air laden with evaporated water near the equator. This moisture then falls because

A) Its potential energy increases with height
B) Warm air cannot hold much moisture
C) The rising air cools and loses its ability to hold water vapor
D) Moisture is condensed as convection currents carry air over hotter, drier regions
E) The moisture evaporates as convection currents carry air over hotter, drier regions

Question 26

Insolation is a term that means

A) The heat reflectivity of clouds
B) The energy retentive ability of gases
C) The incoming solar radiation
D) The total amount of energy released by the sun
E) The outgoing infrared energy

Question 27

Much of the ultraviolet light from the sun is absorbed by _______, as it passes through the atmosphere.

A) Carbon dioxide
B) Water vapor
C) Nitrogen gas
D) Ozone
E) Green house gases

Question 28

The phenomenon causing the greenhouse effect is that ________ in the lower atmosphere selectively absorb(s) reradiated ________ radiation.

A) Ozone; visible light
B) Carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases; infrared (heat)
C) Hydrocarbons; very short wavelength
D) Carbon dioxide; ultraviolet
E) Carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases; insolation

Question 29

In the diagram, which layer has the highest concentration of ozone?

A) I
B) II
C) III
D) IV
E) The highest concentration of ozone is found in the border between III and IV

Question 30

The different layers of the atmosphere are kept from mixing by

A) Sharp temperature boundaries
B) Contrasting gas compositions
C) The extreme stillness within each layer
D) Physical barriers composed of thick layers of atmospheric dust
E) Sharp density boundaries

Question 31

Eventually, all of the energy that reaches the Earth's surface is

A) Absorbed into the Earth
B) Turned into biomass
C) Used in heating
D) Reflected or radiated back to space
E) Dissipated within the Earth's atmosphere

Question 32

The correct sequence of atmospheric zones upward from the earth's surface is

A) Stratosphere, troposphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere
B) Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere
C) Mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere, and thermosphere
D) Thermosphere, stratosphere, troposphere, and mesosphere
E) Troposphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and thermosphere

Question 33

Albedo is a term describing the Earth's

A) Reflection of solar radiation
B) Refraction of energy
C) Production of radiant heat
D) Use of energy in biomass production
E) Outgoing infrared energy

Question 34

Aerosols are

A) Gases produced by industry
B) Tiny particles and droplets suspended in the air
C) The principal gas involved in the greenhouse effect
D) Tiny droplets of a very specific chemical composition
E) The principal gas involved in global warming

Question 35

Elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur were added to the Earth's early atmosphere through _______________.

A) the chemical weathering of rocks
B) contact with space
C) the mechanical weathering of rocks
D) photosynthesis
E) volcanic emissions

Question 36

Energy absorbed at the Earth's surface is radiated back to space in the form of

A) Visible light
B) Ultraviolet radiation
C) Infrared radiation (heat)
D) Microwaves
E) Insolation

Question 37

The two main gases making up the lower atmosphere are

A) Helium and hydrogen
B) Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide
C) Oxygen and methane
D) Nitrogen and oxygen
E) Oxygen and carbon dioxide

Question 38

The atmospheric zone where most weather events occur is the ________________.

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

Question 39

In the diagram, which layer(s) has/have a rapid drop in temperature with increasing altitude?

A) I
B) III
C) IV
D) Both I and III
E) Both I and IV

Question 40

Which of the following would have the highest albedo?

A) A field of black soil
B) A snowfield
C) A dark forest
D) An asphalt parking lot
E) A grass field

Question 41

Milankovitch cycles involve the periodic ___________ and could be responsible for ________ weather changes.

A) Convection currents in the lower atmosphere; drastic
B) Summer/winter seasonality on the Earth; gradual
C) Wobbling of the earth's axis and orbital shifts; cyclic
D) Tidal cycles from month to month; seasonal
E) Seasons; daily

Question 42

Why don't storms over land have as much energy as storms over oceans?

A) Convection currents are intensified by the latent energy of condensation
B) Convection currents are intensified by the latent energy of warm dry air
C) High pressure cells are more common over oceans
D) There aren't as many low-pressure systems over land
E) None of these, storms over land have as much energy as those over oceans

Question 43

When El Niño occurs, a mass of warm Pacific surface water that is usually pushed westward by winds,

A) becomes much warmer than usual, strengthening winds
B) sinks and cools substantially.
C) surges eastward toward South Americ A.
D) surges northward, toward Japan.

Question 44

The Coriolis effect is caused by the

A) Jet stream
B) Rotation of the Earth
C) Heating and cooling of air masses
D) Seasonal changes in air temperature and humidity
E) Movement of tectonic plates

Question 45

When El Niño occurs every three to five years, a mass of warm Pacific water that is usually pushed westward by trade winds

A) Surges back eastward toward South America
B) Becomes much warmer than usual, strengthening trade winds
C) Cools dramatically
D) Sinks and therefore cools substantially
E) Surges northward toward Japan

Question 46

Which convection cell has warm, moist air rising at 0 $\degree$ latitude and cooler, dry air that sinks at around 30 $\degree$ latitude?

A) Hadley Cell
B) Jet Stream
C) Polar Cell
D) Ferrell Cell

Question 47

Narrow, violent bands of rain and storms are characteristic of

A) Advancing cold fronts
B) Advancing warm fronts
C) Both advancing warm and cold fronts
D) Stationary bends in the jet stream
E) A stationary warm front

Question 48

Which of the following events is NOT part of the explanation of how tornadoes form?

A) Strong, dry air cold fronts collide with warm humid air moving north
B) Convection currents are formed when warm air rises
C) Latent heat (energy) is released from the condensation of water vapor
D) The air mass is set spinning by the Coriolis effect
E) None of these is correct

Question 49

When cool, dry air sinks from the upper atmosphere toward the Earth's surface, it is

A) Compressed and cooled further
B) Allowed to expand and become warmer
C) Compressed and becomes warmer
D) Forced to release any remaining moisture
E) Going to hold more water because there is more water vapor closer to the Earth's surface

Question 50

If you see high wispy cirrus clouds with layers of other clouds in a wedge shape, you can expect ________ due to a/an ____________.

A) Heavy rain and thunderstorms; advancing cold front
B) Heavy rain and thunderstorms; advancing warm front
C) Drizzle and cloudy skies; advancing warm front
D) Drizzle and cloudy skies; advancing cold front
E) Heavy rain and thunderstorms; stationary warm front

Question 51

A band of deserts rings the Earth at about 30 $\degree$ north and 30 $\degree$ south latitude because these are regions of

A) Ascending, cooling air
B) Rising hot air
C) The earth's most intense solar energy
D) Air that cools as it descends
E) Descending, warming air

Question 52

The boundary between two air masses of different temperature and density is known as a

A) Front
B) Cold front
C) Warm front
D) Hadley cell
E) Jet stream

Question 53

Hurricanes are powered by

A) The hydrologic cycle
B) Rising air masses
C) Sinking air masses
D) The heat released from condensing water vapor
E) Subtropical jet streams coupled with convection currents

Question 54

Monsoons occur over India when air heated over the Indian subcontinent and the Indian Ocean

A) Is forced to rise because of convection
B) Is forced to rise when it meets the Himalayas
C) Begins to sink as summer approaches
D) Cools in the winter and therefore sinks
E) Is forced out over the Indian Ocean

Question 55

Rising, expanding air masses create a region of

A) Low pressure
B) Warming air
C) High pressure
D) Dry air
E) Cooling air

Question 56

The Vostok ice core was collected to 3,100 feet below the surface, and has revealed ______ years of climate data.

A) 42,000
B) 100,000
C) 420,000
D) 500,000

Question 57

The purpose of ice core drilling is to analyze trapped ancient bubbles of atmosphere for ________ and ____________.

A) Helium and Hydrogen
B) CO₂ and Oxygen isotopes
C) CO₂ and Hydrogen isotopes
D) CO and Hydrogen isotopes

Question 58

When an area of the Earth's surface becomes very hot, the air above it

A) Condenses and cools
B) Warms, expands, and rises
C) Warms, condenses, and releases rain
D) Expands and sinks
E) Condenses and sinks

Question 59

As a cold front advances, the warm air is forced to

A) Rise, become warmer, and absorb more moisture
B) Go under the mass of cold air
C) Retreat laterally and become more dense
D) Fall, condense, and lose its moisture
E) Rise, cool, and release its moisture

Question 60

A cold front is a situation in which cold air

A) Remains stationary for weeks at a time
B) Displaces a mass of warmer air
C) Recedes in the face of warmer air
D) Is heated by seasonal changes in solar energy
E) Slips over a mass of warmer air

Question 61

Models of climate change are most in agreement with observed data ______.

A) when only natural causes of climate change are used.
B) when both natural and anthropogenic causes of warming are included.
C) none of the models agree with observations.
D) when only anthropogenic causes of climate change are used.

Question 62

Weather is a term for atmospheric moisture and temperature on a short-term basis.

Question 63

Carbon capture

A) Traps carbon emissions from power plants and forces it underground.
B) Is very expensive.
C) is where carbon emissions can be forced into underground oil wells increasing recovery amounts of the oil.
D) All of these are true.

Question 64

Proponents of climate change say that given what we know about the probability of the greenhouse effect, the best thing to do is

A) Immediately cease all industrial activity
B) Wait and see how much temperatures change before we change our habits
C) Severely cut back on production of greenhouse gases
D) Not worry about greenhouse gas production
E) Focus on the development of technological advances to help decrease the effects of climate change

Question 65

As far as we are currently aware, who were the first people to notice the El Niño Southern Oscillation cycle?

A) Scientists studying atmospheric changes
B) Meteorologists
C) Indigenous people in South America
D) Peruvian fishermen
E) Colonial governors in South America from Spain

Question 66

Since biodiversity is usually higher in warmer, milder climates, biodiversity will probably be increased with global warming.

Question 67

The main activity of the IPCC is to _______.

A) make policies to combat climate change
B) make recommendations to UN member nations on climate change.
C) make general assessments of all climate change research at regular intervals of time.
D) refute any evidence that climate change exists

Question 68

What does the acronym ENSO stand for? Describe the weather patterns in the U.S. as a result of ENSO.

Question 69

The Keeling graph of Carbon Dioxide concentrations form a pattern that goes up and down each year. What is the cause of this oscillating pattern?

A) More combustion of wood and fossil fuels occur in the winter than the summer contributing to the increased CO₂.
B) In the summer of Hawaii, much of the snow melt on Mauna Loa and CO₂ is released.
C) During the northern hemisphere summer, there are so many trees, that they reduce the amount of CO₂ substantially, but when northern winter occurs, there are not enough trees in the southern hemisphere to use all of the inputs of CO₂ in the atmosphere.
D) During the southern hemisphere summer, there are so many trees, that they reduce the amount of CO₂ substantially, but when southern winter occurs, there are not enough trees in the northern hemisphere to use all of the inputs of CO₂ in the atmosphere.

Question 70

Where air is sinking (high pressure), rainfall is likely as the air sinks.

Question 71

The most effective and practical way of reducing CO₂ emissions is to ___________.

A) make many small changes over all of the human population that act like 'wedges' reducing emissions
B) switch to all renewable energy as soon as possible
C) stop all industry that emits CO2 regardless of the economic problems it may cause
D) There is no problem with climate change, so we do not need to do anything.

Question 72

Most of the excessive carbon dioxide that is expected to cause global warming is generated by green plants.

Question 73

Convection currents are the driving force(s) of the hydrologic cycle.

Question 74

Glacier National Park has lost _______ glaciers since 1910 when the park was created.

A) About 30
B) Over 120
C) All of its
D) No
E) Between 50-60

Question 75

Which of the following is NOT a consequence that we are seeing now? rev:10_31_2016_QC_CS-67878

A) 19 of the 20 hottest years on record have occured since 1980.
B) Arctic sea ice has approximately 50% of its thickness compared to 30 years ago.
C) During the last century, global average temperature has increased by 0.6 $\degree$ C.
D) Coral reefs are bleaching due to increased ocean temperatures.
E) All of these statements are true.

Question 76

Ocean circulation patterns have no effect on climate conditions on land.

Question 77

The Keeling graph, although it has yearly oscillations, shows that the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere __________.

A) is slowly decreasing.
B) has sharp increases about every five years.
C) is remaining constant.
D) is steadily rising.

Question 78

Because of global warming, sea levels are expected to rise _______ by 2100.

A) 1-2 feet
B) 3-6 feet
C) 6-8 feet
D) Approximately 20 feet
E) None of these are correct; sea levels are not expected to rise

Question 79

Current concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere is _______ according to the Keeling graph.

A) over 400ppm
B) 300ppm
C) 350ppm
D) 375 ppm

Question 80

Which of the following is NOT an important greenhouse gas?

A) Nitrous oxide
B) Methane
C) Carbon dioxide
D) Sulfur dioxide