apes - chap 19 global change

If the ice cap at the North Pole continues to shrink, which of the following is NOT a likely outcome?

D. Penguin populations would increase.

Which of the following poses the greatest threat to polar bears?

D. Global warming

Which of the following molecules is NOT considered a greenhouse gas?

C. Nitrogen

Which of the following phenomena is a major cause of increasing greenhouse gas production?

B. An increasing global population, which is also becoming increasingly affluent

Which of the following energy sources is a chief contributor to greenhouse gas emissions as well as increasing environmental mobility of mercury?

C. Coal

An increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the troposphere will lead to the reduction in heat radiated back to space in the form of

A. infrared radiation.

Which of the following can be considered reasonable hypotheses to explain the recent trend in warming of surface temperatures globally?
I. If greenhouse gas concentrations increase in the troposphere, then surface temperatures will increase.
II. If the area of polar ice increases, then the surface temperatures will increase.
III. If incoming solar radiation is greater than the release of outgoing infrared radiation, then surface temperatures will increase.

C. I and III

Which of the following greenhouse gases does not exist naturally?

C. Chlorofluorocarbons

Which of the following greenhouse gases is responsible for trapping the most outgoing infrared radiation?

A. Water vapor

Which of the following best describes the class of compounds known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)?
I. Volcanic eruptions release them into the atmosphere.
II. They are known ozone depleters.
III. They were targeted for banning in 1987 as part of the Montreal Protocol.

D. II and III

Excluding anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases, greenhouse warming can be considered

C. detrimental to sensitive sea life.

Which of the following greenhouse gases has the highest warming potential relative to carbon dioxide?

C. Chlorofluorocarbons

Which of the following gases is the greatest overall contributor to the greenhouse effect?

A. Carbon dioxide

A greenhouse gas that results from natural anaerobic processes typically associated with saturated soil conditions found in wetlands would be

C. methane.

Which of the following is true about anthropogenic sources of methane production?
I. Raising livestock is one of the largest anthropogenic sources of methane.
II. Methane production increases when wetlands are destroyed.
III. Anthropogenic methane has greater warming potential than naturally produced methane.

A. I only

Global dimming is a phenomenon whereby incoming solar energy is reflected back into space prior to hitting the Earth's surface. A non-anthropogenic source of this dimming could be from

A. heightened volcanic ash in the atmosphere.

Which of the following could be considered a positive feedback loop contributing to increased global temperatures?
I. Higher temperatures lead to increased decomposer activity.
II. An increase in soil loss leads to a decrease in light penetration in adjacent streams.
III. Increased CO2 stimulates plant growth.

A. I

Which of the following fuels would release the most carbon dioxide in producing a given amount of energy?

E. Coal

Which of the following organizations was created by the UN to monitor, understand, and estimate the global impact of climate change?

D. IPCC

Per capita carbon emissions tend to be highest in

A. developed nations.

Which of the following nations is responsible for the most carbon emissions on an annual basis?

D. China

Which of the following choices represents the top three nations for per capita emission of carbon dioxide?

B. Australia, the United States, Canada

Although the average global temperature over the last 120 years has increased by 0.8ºC, some parts of the globe have experienced a decline in temperatures. The area that has experienced the most pronounced decrease is

C. Antarctica.

Scientists can hypothesize the anthropogenic contribution to global temperature change by comparing recent temperatures to historical values. A physical test for this comparison is done using

B. changes in isotopic oxygen found in ice cores.

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 1958 was 310 ppm and rose to 390 ppm in 2009. The percent increase in carbon dioxide over this period of time is closest to

B. 25%.

Oceans are a global sink for carbon dioxide. This is a concern because as global temperatures increase, the oceans ability to retain carbon dioxide will tend to

D. decrease.

Soils contain a large amount of stored carbon. The current and expected increase in temperature is likely to stimulate a positive feedback mechanism driven by

B. increased activity of decomposers in soils.

An indirect anthropogenic release of methane is manifested by

A. melting of Arctic permafrost.

Use Figure 19-1. In which of the following years did temperatures increase in the northern hemisphere, but decrease in the southern hemisphere?

C. 1960

Use Figure 19-1. In the last 10 years, there has been a clear differentiation between northern and southern temperature increases. For the most recent data shown on the graph, the northern hemisphere increase is what percent of the southern temperature increase?

D. 130%

Use Figure 19-1. In 2000, which of the following occurred?

B. Northern hemisphere temperatures increased by about 0.5°C, and southern hemisphere temperatures increased by about 0.2°C.

The loss of glaciers could directly cause

D. a decline in seasonal drinking water supplies.

Which of the following is likely to be the most difficult hurdle to overcome from current and future sea level rise?

B. Compensating for the mass migration of coastal people

Increased global temperatures will present many potential health problems. One of these is the possibility of heat related mortalities. Which of the following would most likely experience acute increases in heat related mortality in the future?

C. Urban areas of developed nations

A negative health consequence of increased surface temperatures would be best represented by which of the following?

B. An increase in geographic range of disease-causing pests

Which of the following natural disasters in the United States can be at least partly attributed to global warming?

A. Hurricane Katrina

Which of the following is NOT an example of how global warming has disrupted living organisms?

C. pH changes in oceanic waters

Ocean currents are major heat distribution mechanisms for the planet and thus have a large impact on regional climate. Of the following events, which would be most likely to disrupt the thermohaline cycling of ocean currents, causing much of Europe to experience much colder temperatures?

C. Melting of Greenland ice sheets

In some cases, increased global temperatures have caused an extension in growing seasons and thus annual primary productivity. Which of the following would be most likely to cause this trend to cease?

E. Loss of soil moisture because of heightened evaporation and lower regional precipitation

Use Figure 19-2. Between 400,000 and 10,000 years ago, the highest CO2 concentration was approximately

C. 290 ppm.

Use Figure 19-2. The difference between the present observed carbon dioxide concentration and the concentration 400,000 years ago is closest to

E. 120 ppm.

Use Figure 19-2. What is the approximate percent increase between carbon dioxide levels 150,000 years ago and carbon dioxide levels today?

D. 100%

An organismal level effect that is partially the result of global warming may be seen in the disassociation of types of algae from their symbiotic hosts. This process is known as

A. coral bleaching.

Which of the following would NOT be considered an economic hardship associated with global warming?

D. Increased investment in renewable energy sources

An attempt at global collaboration in curbing greenhouse gas emissions was demonstrated by the

B. Kyoto Protocol.

An approach to combating global warming by removing already-emitted greenhouse gas is termed

C. carbon sequestration.

The most reasonable approach to reducing the emission of greenhouse gases in the long term would be

D. threatening military action to any non-Kyoto nation.

Which of the following would provide the most ecologically sound approach to sequestering carbon that has already been emitted into the atmosphere?

B. Allowing agricultural fields to become pasture or forest

Use Table 19-1. Which type of livestock causes the greatest overall greenhouse gas emissions?

A. Beef cattle

Use Table 19-1. Which type of livestock causes the greatest greenhouse gas emissions per animal?

E. It is impossible to tell from the data given.

Use Table 19-1. In 2005, there were approximately 60.6 million swine in the United States. About how much emissions did EACH of these swine produce?

B. 0.35 metric tons

Use Table 19-1. In 2005, there were approximately 86.5 million beef cattle and 12.8 million dairy cattle in the United States. Which of the following statements about beef and dairy cattle emissions is true?

D. Per animal, dairy cattle produce about twice as much emissions as beef cattle.

Use Figure 19-3. Ignoring CO2 emissions caused by fossil fuel use, which would be the best practice to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gases?

C. Institute policies that reduce deforestation worldwide

Use Figure 19-3. Which of the following processes would likely contribute the most to the greenhouse effect?

E. Usage of hydrocarbon fuel for energy

Use Figure 19-4. Which of the following statements about greenhouse gas emissions is correct?
I. The rate of increase in CO2 emissions is greater for developing versus developed nations.
II. The equilibrium point for developed and developing nations will be in 2010.
III. Developing nations will still outpace developed nations in 2030.

D. I and III

Use Figure 19-4. Which of the following is the MOST reasonable explanation of the trends shown in the graph?

B. An increase in the middle class of developing nations increases demand for fossil fuel.

Use Figure 19-4. What is the approximate annual rate of change in emissions for developing nations over the period of time illustrated in the graph?

B. 0.5 Gt CO2 per year

Particulate matter may have an impact on global surface temperatures because as soot lands on snow and ice surfaces, the absorption of thermal energy increases with a decrease in

D. albedo.

Excluding wetlands, an abundant, non-anthropogenic source of methane in the atmosphere is from

B. termites.

A potential source of natural short-term climate change can be seen with

C. volcanism.

The concentration of which of the following greenhouse gases is LEAST affected by human activity?

A. Water vapor

What is the only developed country that has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol?

C. The United States

According to the U.S. Supreme Court, which agreement or legislation gives the EPA the authority to regulate CO2 emissions?

B. The Clean Air Act