Global Change Final

Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas:

A) carbon dioxide

B) methane

C) nitrous oxide

D) water vapor

E) all of the above

F) none of the above

none of the above

The rate at which sea levels are rising is…

A) Increasing

B) Decreasing

C) Staying the same

D) variable

Increasing

Which of the following is not increasing?

A) global temperatures over land

B) global temperatures over oceans

C) ocean pH

D) specific humidity

ocean pH

As temperatures rise, specific humidity…

A) increases

B) decreases

C) stays the same

D) varies

increases

As temperatures rise, relative humidity…

A) Increases

B) decreases

C) stays the same

D) varies

decreases

T/F: earth’s atmosphere is “transparent” to infrared radiation

F

T/F: globally, glaciers are gaining mass

F

T/F: 2024 was the hottest year on record

T

T/F: Each of the last four decades has been successively warmer than any decade that preceded it since 1850

T

T/F: Greenhouse gases are bad for Earth

F

T/F: Between 1979-1988 and 2010-2019, Arctic sea ice area has increased in both March and September

F

Earth’s four spheres are the ____, ____, ____, and ____

atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere

____ is the study of past climates

paleoclimatology

Earth’s axis has a tilt of ____ degrees

23.5

____ feedback loops tend to amplify changes, and ____ feedback loops tend to diminish changes.

positive, negative

____ represent different greenhouse has emissions and climate futures, and ____ are the future outcomes associated with each other at a specific time in the future.

climate scenarios, climate projections

A ____ radiative forcing leads to a decrease in temperature, while a ____ radiative forcing leads to an increase in temperature

negative, positive

____ is a measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere over a specific time period relative to CO2

global warming potential

The differences between observed values and climatological means are called ____

anomaly

____ are solid or liquid particles suspended in air

aerosols

In climate models, some processes such as clouds, turbulence, and gas exchange with plants must be ____, meaning they are represented by terms we do know. Additionally, the atmosphere must be divided into ____

parameterized, grids

A ____ is the critical in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant and often unstoppable effect or change takes place.

tipping point

Before 1850, which of the following was the main energy source?

A) coal

B) oil

C) natural gas

D) all of the above

E) none of the above

none of the above

The most vulnerable continent is:

A) Africa

B) Asia

C) Australia

D) Europe

E) North America

F) South America

Africa

Which if the following is not one of the top six CO2 emitters?

A) Australia

B) China

C) India

D) russia

Australia

In the Northern Hemisphere, ____ processes dominate as carbon sink. In the Southern Hemisphere, ____ processes dominate.

A) land, land

B) ocean, ocean

C) land, ocean

D) ocean, land

land, ocean

Which of the following is closest to today’s CO2 concentration?

A) 300 ppm

B) 400 ppm

C) 300 ppb

D) 400 ppb

400 ppm

Which of the following is closest to today’s NO2 concentration?

A) 300 ppm

B) 400 ppm

C) 300 ppb

D) 400 ppb

300 ppb

Compared to 1850-1900, global surface temperatures averaged over 2081-2100 are very likely to be highest under which scenario?

A) RCP2.6

B) RCP6.0

C) SSP1-1.9

D) SSP2-4.5

E) SSP5-8.5

SSP5-8.5

According to the IPCC AR6, there is high confidence that all of the following will occur except for…

A) permafrost thawing

B) loss of seasonal snow cover

C) loss of land ice

D) Loss of Arctic sea ice

E) loss of Antarctic sea ice

loss of Antarctic sea ice

T/F: In Iowa, roughly one-fifth of the energy produced comes from coal

T

T/F: permafrost thaw is associated with release of CO2, CH4, and N2O

F

T/F: the Arctic will warm slower than the tropics

F

T/F: China has the highest per capita emissions in the world

F

T/F: the land warms faster than the oceans

T

T/F: glaciers are static

F

T/F: in the United States, roughly one-fifth of the energy produced comes from coal

F

The differences between observed climate changes and simulated or projected climate changes are often referred to as ____

biases

A ____ is a reservoir in the Earth system that takes in more carbon than it gives off while a ____ is a reservoir in the Earth system that gives off more energy than it takes in.

sink, source

The ____ is the frozen water part of the Earth system.

cryosphere

The ____ area is where a glacier gains mass, and the ____ area is where a glacier loses mass

accumulation, ablation

____ is the phenomenon of the Arctic warming faster than the global average

Arctic amplification

The country/group of countries with the highest per capita emission is ____.

US

____ is any type of ground that has been frozen continuously for a minimum of two years and as many as hundreds of thousands of years

permafrost

____ is the overlap of: ____ , the physical events, trends, or impacts related to climate change; ____, a measure of how susceptible a location or population is to the effects of climate change; and ____ the presence of people, livelihoods, ecosystems, etc. that could be affected

risk, hazards, vulnerability, exposure

____ is the process by which carbon is removed from the atmosphere

carbon sequestration

After the industrial revolution, the Big Three (____, ____, and ____) gradually became the main energy sources

coal, natural gas, oil

Maladaptation types include…

A) increasing GHG emissions

B) disproportionately burdening the most vulnerable

C) high opportunity costs

D) reduced incentive to adapt

E) path dependency

F) all of the above

G) none of the above

H) A,B, and E only

all of the above

CDR methods vary in terms of all of the following except their…

A) removal process

B) cost

C) co-benefits

D) adaptation potential

E) risks

adaptation potential

The largest adaptation gap exists among…

A) rural communities

B) urban communities

C) lower-incomecome populations

lower-income populations

the only widely practiced CDR method is…

A) afforestation

B) ocean fertilization

C) direct air capture

afforestation

Which SDM methods utilize atmospheric aerosols?

A) marine cloud brightening

B) whitening of built structures

C) direct air capture

marine cloud brightening

Which alternative energy is typically the most expensive?

A) geothermal

B) hydroelectric

C) wind

D) solar

E) nuclear

Geothermal

T/F: adaptation is reactive

T

T/F: adaptation is intrinsically global

F

T/F: mitigation is a global endeavor

T

T/F: mitigation is reactive

F

T/F: Geoengineering is already widely used to address climate change

F

T/F: fossil fuels are always cheaper than alternative energy

F

T/F: Biomass burning is the safest alternative energy

F

____ is an understanding of how the climate system works, human actins influence climate, and climate influenced people and other parts of the Earth system.

climate literacy

____ refer to the point at which a system’s needs cannot be secured from intolerable risks through adaptive actions. (Hint: they are hard or soft)

adaptation limits

____ refers to current or future negative consequences of adaptation-related responses that lead to an increase in the vulnerability of a system

maladaptation

____ is the deliberate large-scale intervention in Earth’s natural systems to counteract climate change. It has two components: ____ or SRM and ____ or CDR

geoengineering, solar radiative management, carbon dioxide removal

____ seeks to improve our ability to cope with or take advantage of the unavoidable impacts of climate change, and ____ seeks to reduce the severity of climate change.

adaptation, mitigation

____ are effective, feasible, and just means of reducing climate risk

solutions

A ____ is a strategic document written for a specific entity that outlines climate-related adaptation and mitigation efforts

climate action plan

COP 18

Doha Amendment

COP 26

Glasgow Climate Pact

COP 28

Global Stocktake

COP 29

Baku Climate Unity Pact

COP 3

Kyoto Protocol

COP 21

Paris Agreement