Deck 21: Climate Change- When the Trees Leave: Scientists Grapple With a Shifting Climate- Alternatives to Fossil Fuels

Question 1

Infographic 21.1.

Refer to Infographic 21.1. What change is depicted in the infographic? What changes to weather are expected when the curve shifts to the right?

Answer 1

An increase of a few degrees in the average temperature shifts the entire curve to the right from the previous climate to the new climate. With the new climate, it is likely there will be more years that have the former "extreme" hot weather; it also means the affected area will likely set new records for extreme heat. Less cold weather extremes will be observed.

Question 2

Which of the following phenomena would indicate the presence of climate change?

A) prairies turning into deserts
B) coral reefs dying
C) colder and longer winters
D) an increase in the size of glaciers
E) all of these answers

Answer 2

all of these answers

Question 3

Long-term patterns or trends of meteorological conditions in a given area refer to its _________.

A) weather
B) variability
C) forecast
D) climate
E) albedo

Answer 3

climate

Question 4

Since climatologists started keeping records in 1850, the warmest decade globally was:

A) 1850 to 1860.
B) 1950 to 1960.
C) 1980 to 1990.
D) 1990 to 2000.
E) 2000 to 2010.

Question 5

What changes occurred to Minnesota's climate 12,000 and 6,000 years ago? What effect did these changes have on the ranges for various tree species?

Question 6

Which of the following does NOT directly contribute to sea level rise?

A) melting of land-based ice
B) melting of sea ice
C) thermal expansion of water
D) melting of glaciers
E) all of these answers

Question 7

In terms of temperature, what recent global trends have been observed?

Question 8

A shift of only a few degrees Fahrenheit in the average global temperature will likely result in more frequent and extreme heat waves. Which of the following choices best describes this phenomenon?

A) habitat destruction
B) weather change
C) climate change
D) ozone formation
E) none of the answers

Question 9

Global warming is an aspect of

A) climate
B) weather
C) extreme weather
D) a particular location's air temperature
E) all of these answers

Question 10

Global climate change has had numerous effects on the Earth. Which of the following has been a result of global climate change?

A) increase in insect pest populations
B) rise in infectious tropical diseases
C) uncoupling of community connections
D) increase in coastal flooding
E) all of these answers

Question 11

Which of the following choices is NOT evidence for the recent changes in global climate?

A) a single weather event like a hurricane.
B) prairies giving way to deserts in Africa and the American West.
C) coral reefs dying off.
D) earlier springs and later winters.
E) more and longer heat waves.

Question 12

Shifts in the ranges of tree species due to climate change are called ________.

A) derooting events
B) tree-range migrations
C) uncoupling events
D) seed dispersal phenomena
E) none of these answers

Question 13

What changes to regional climate have been observed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource's climatology office?

A) Over the past two decades, springtime has come a week or two sooner than the historical average.
B) Eight of the state's 20 warmest years have been recorded since 1981.
C) Minnesota logged three mild winters in a row, each with record highs.
D) A, B, and C have been observed.
E) None of these answers has been observed.

Question 14

The actual temperature on any given day is the _________, while the range of expected values, based on location and time of year, is the __________.

A) climate; weather
B) albedo; radiative forcer
C) weather; climate
D) prediction; weather
E) forecast; reality

Question 15

What aspect of the forest fire in Minnesota's great North Woods was unusual for the climate there?

A) the magnitude of the fire
B) that it had not burned since 1801
C) how quickly the fire was extinguished
D) the timing of the fire being so early in the year
E) the timing of the fire being in late summer

Question 16

Describe the difference between weather and climate. Provide an example for each.

Question 17

A variety of factors can warm or cool the planet. Which of the following is a positive forcer (warming effect)?

A) cloud albedo effect
B) aerosols
C) stratospheric ozone
D) black soot on snow
E) deforestation

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT an aspect of climate?

A) long-term patterns or trends
B) useful for predicting weather
C) timing of seasonal shifts
D) winter lows and summer highs hover close to expected norms
E) a few warmer days here and there

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a greenhouse gas?

A) carbon dioxide
B) methane
C) nitrous oxide
D) halocarbons
E) sulfur oxides

Question 20

The meteorological conditions in a given place on a given day refer to its _________.

A) climate
B) weather
C) habitat
D) ecosystem
E) none of these answers

Question 21

_______ is the ability of a surface to reflect away solar radiation.

A) Albedo
B) Positive feedback
C) Radiative force
D) Greenhouse effect
E) None of these answers

Question 22

Based on computer modeling of climate change, the current increase in temperatures can be attributed to natural causes.

Question 23

Infographic 21.4.

Refer to Infographic 21.4. Explain why the Arctic is particularly vulnerable to climate change.

Question 24

What method of measuring atmospheric CO₂ levels gives a more accurate result?

A) local air measurement
B) water sampling
C) measurements taken from gas bubbles trapped in the ice
D) temperature correlation
E) all of these answers

Question 25

What causes the level of atmospheric CO₂ to rise and fall throughout the year?

A) plant growth and dormancy due to seasons
B) temperature fluctuation
C) movement of ocean air streams
D) industry booms
E) relative distance of Earth to the Sun

Question 26

Which of the following sources are NOT used to reconstruct past climate?

A) ice cores
B) sediment cores
C) tree rings
D) coral reef growth layers
E) All of these sources are used.

Question 27

Infographic 21.5.

Refer to Infographic 21.5. Sulfate aerosols are produced mostly from sulfur dioxide which arises from fossil fuel combustion. Because of their impact on air quality, including its role in acid deposition, efforts to reduce emissions, for example by using scrubbers at coal-fired power plants, have succeeded in lowering emissions. Use the infographic to determine what effect these reductions in emissions would have on climate.

Question 28

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the greenhouse effect?

A) Increased levels of human-produced carbon dioxide have enhanced the greenhouse effect.
B) The greenhouse effect did not exist before humans.
C) Greenhouse gases work by magnifying incoming solar radiation onto Earth's surface, just like in a greenhouse.
D) Volcanoes are the largest source of greenhouse gases.
E) All of these answers are true.

Question 29

Which of the following is an anthropogenic forcer?

A) volcanic eruptions
B) fossil fuel combustion
C) sunspot cycles
D) orbital eccentricity
E) none of these answers

Question 30

Which is FALSE regarding positive feedback loops?

A) They are changes caused by an initial event that then accentuates that original event.
B) An example is melting sea ice in the Arctic.
C) They can cause rapid changes.
D) They always indicate a "positive" or beneficial event.
E) None of these answers are false.

Question 31

How is a positive feedback loop different from a negative feedback loop? Provide an example of each.

Question 32

Currently, ___________ releases more carbon dioxide per person than any other country in the world.

A) the United States
B) China
C) Russia
D) Mexico
E) France

Question 33

What is the name of the international group of scientists who evaluate scientific studies related to any aspect of climate change to give thorough and objective assessment of the data?

A) World Health Organization
B) Montreal Procession
C) Environmental Protection Agency
D) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
E) Climate Change Forecasters United

Question 34

What method of measuring atmospheric CO₂ level gives data of what past atmosphere CO₂ levels were?

A) local air measurement
B) water sampling
C) measurements taken from gas bubbles trapped in the ice
D) temperature correlation
E) all of these answers

Question 35

The cause of the vast majority of climate change can be attributed to:

A) volcanoes.
B) the burning of fossil fuels.
C) cattle farming.
D) crop production.
E) forest fires.

Question 36

Explain how clouds can participate in both positive and negative feedback loops.

Question 37

Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding climate models?

A) Climate models are not testable.
B) Climate models project future climate conditions.
C) Climate models take into account many variables, including global air circulation patterns and carbon dioxide levels.
D) Climate models that exclude anthropogenic factors are most accurate.
E) None of these answers are false.

Question 38

Which of the following factors has low albedo and contributes to warming?

A) glaciers
B) meadows
C) fresh snow
D) asphalt
E) aerosols

Question 39

________ is(are) anything that alters the balance of incoming solar radiation relative to the amount of heat that escapes out into space.

A) A radiative forcer
B) Albedo
C) Radiation forcers
D) Milankovitch cycles
E) Climate enforcers

Question 40

Infographic 21.3.

Refer to Infographic 21.3. Describe how the greenhouse effect works. What is different with the enhanced greenhouse effect, and what are the main causes of it?

Question 41

Changes in global climate are predicted to have a negative impact on forests. Forests provide which of the following ecosystem services?

A) soil stabilization
B) water purification
C) sink for carbon
D) oxygen production
E) all of these answers

Question 42

Refer to Infographic 21.8. What is the scientific consensus regarding the cause of the recently observed changes in global climate?

Question 43

List several techniques used by climate scientists to gather indirect data on climate (temperature, carbon dioxide levels, etc.) from the distant past.

Question 44

Describe how the recent changes in global climate are expected to impact biodiversity.

Question 45

Deliberately thinning out paper birches in an effort to cultivate more oaks and white pines in Minnesota in light of massive paper birch die-offs is an example of ___________.

A) resistance forestry
B) a poor forestry technique
C) facilitation
D) command and control forestry
E) none of these answers

Question 46

Efforts intended to minimize the extent or impact of climate change are referred to as ___________.

A) adaptation
B) facilitation
C) mitigation
D) stabilization
E) none of these answers

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT an example of adaptation to climate change?

A) shoring up coastlines against rising sea levels
B) preparing for heat waves, cold spells, and outbreaks of infectious diseases
C) taking steps to ensure a sufficient water supply in areas where freshwater supplies may dry up
D) consuming more fossil fuels
E) All of these answers are examples.

Question 48

Accepting climate change as inevitable and adjusting as best as possible is referred to as __________.

A) adaptation
B) prescription
C) mitigation
D) stabilization
E) none of these answers

Question 49

Which of the following are factors that prevent migrating tree species from thriving in their new, more northerly habitats?

A) proliferation of deer
B) summer water deficits
C) beetle infestation
D) dry conditions which favor intense fires
E) all of these answers

Question 50

Species have responded to global climate change in various ways. Which of the following is an example of how species have responded?

A) shifting ranges
B) earlier blooming
C) migrating to higher altitudes
D) hatching earlier
E) all of these answers

Question 51

How would applying the precautionary principle now to carbon dioxide emissions help to avoid, or at least lessen, some of the more serious outcomes of a changing global climate?

Question 52

What could happen to the boreal forests of northern Minnesota within the next century?

A) Warmer soil could lead to fewer paper birch trees.
B) There could be an increased presence of temperate species such as the red maple.
C) There could be a northward migration of spruce trees.
D) They could vanish.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT an example of current or probable benefits from climate change to people in certain places?

A) warmer temperatures in Greenland allowing farmers to grow a wider variety of crops
B) the Northwest Passage opening during the summer months, reducing the transport time for ships
C) the incidence of cold-related health problems and deaths decreasing in high-latitude land in Canada and Siberia
D) the increased maple syrup production in the northeastern United States
E) All of these answers are examples of probable benefits.

Question 54

Further changes in global climate will have a significant effect on world forests. Global climate changes will impact both mean annual ______ and ______, which will cause shifts in tree populations.

A) temperature; precipitation
B) logging; precipitation
C) oxygen availability; temperature
D) nitrogen levels; carbon dioxide levels
E) temperature; available sunlight

Question 55

Which of the following facilitate mitigation efforts on a national or global scale?

A) command and control regulations
B) tax breaks
C) carbon taxes
D) cap-and-trade
E) all of these answers

Question 56

Climate changes that impact freeze-thaw patterns are predicted to have a negative impact on what industry in the northeastern United States?

A) logging
B) maple syrup
C) tourism
D) nut
E) Christmas tree

Question 57

Infographic 21.7.

Refer to Temperature and Atmospheric CO₂ Concentration from the Vostok Ice Core graph in Infographic 21.7. The relationship between temperature and carbon dioxide is complex. Explain the relationship between these two variables (1) as Earth comes out of a glacial period (ice age) and increases in carbon dioxide lag temperature increases by hundreds of years, and (2) in reference to the recent warming over the last hundred years where increased carbon dioxide release is preceding the warming.

Question 58

Potential effects of climate change likely include all of the following EXCEPT _______.

A) an increase in the proportion of land area in severe drought
B) heat extremes in some areas
C) colder winters in some regions
D) increased fire risk in boreal North America
E) All of these answers are possible.

Question 59

In Minnesota's North Woods, moving tree species to entirely new ranges where they do not currently grow, based on the notion that the speed of climate change will make it impossible for natural tree migratory processes to occur, is called _________.

A) mitigation
B) stabilization
C) the precautionary principle
D) facilitation
E) none of these answers

Question 60

Describe how Milankovitch cycles help explain past climate change. Explain why the current warming cannot be attributed to these cycles.

Question 61

Describe adaptation strategies for any three of the following potential impacts of climate change: health impacts, crop productivity, coastal erosion and flooding, biodiversity losses, drought, and fire risk.

Question 62

Describe the difference between mitigation and adaptation as it applies to climate change. Provide an example of each.