Quiz 9: Climate Change

Which of the following is a statement involving climate rather than weather?

A) Today is cloudy and raining

B) Rainfall amounts were above average this month

C) The winters here are dry and warm

D) The temperature will rise during the next week

E) It is 56 degrees F and sunny

C) The winters here are dry and warm

What two factors are often used for basic classification of global climate zones?

A) Average monthly temperature and precipitation

B) Average monthly temperature and latitude

C) Average rainfall and atmospheric pressure

D) Atmospheric pressure and average monthly temperature

E) Average cloud cover and proximity to ocean

A) Average monthly temperature and precipitation

Which of the following is considered a variable gas?

A) Nitrogen

B) Oxygen

C) Argon

D) Carbon dioxide

D) Carbon dioxide

What are aerosols and why are they important?

A) Aerosols are gases from cans and they deplete the ozone layer

B) Aerosols are gases from cans and they warm the Earth

C) Aerosols are particles that are flammable in the atmosphere

D) Aerosols are very small liquid or solid particles that reflect sunlight

E) Aerosols are gases that interact with greenhouse gases

D) Aerosols are very small liquid or solid particles that reflect sunlight

Which of the following is NOT a source of data used to understand climate?

A) Direct measurements of temperature in the ocean

B) Liquefaction zones from earthquakes stored in the geologic record

C) Historical records

D) Pollen

E) Tree ring data

F) Ice core samples

B) Liquefaction zones from earthquakes stored in the geologic record

How do scientists measure the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere fore dates prior to 1955?

A) Direct measurements at Mauna Loa

B) Written records

C) From air bubbles in glacial ice from cores

D) From air bubbles in volcanic rocks

E) From measurements of carbon dioxide trapped in sediment from the ocean floor

C) From air bubbles in glacial ice from cores

What is important about the amounts of carbon-14 living samples?

A) It is a greenhouse gas

B) It is a direct indicator of amounts of carbon-12

C) It can indicate sunspot activity

D) It gives a direct measure of paleo-ocean temperature

E) It is an indicator of sea level rise

C) It can indicate sunspot activity

What is the greenhouse effect?

A) The transmission of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun

B) The reflection of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun

C) The absorption of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun

D) The absorption of infrared radiation by the atmosphere

E) The destruction of the ozone layer by absorption of ultraviolet radiation

D) The absorption of infrared radiation by the atmosphere

Which gas accounts for the majority (more than half) of the anthropogenic greenhouse effect?

A) Carbon dioxide

B) Oxygen

C) Methane

D) Water vapor

E) Chlorofluorocarbons

A) Carbon dioxide

Which of the following episodes of climate change was believed to be caused by human interaction?

A) Medieval warming period from 1000-1300

B) Little ice age from 1400-1800

C) Cooling in North America and Europe just after Mount Tambora eruption in 1815

D) Global cooling just after Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991

E) Warming over the past 150 years or so

E) Warming over the past 150 years or so

Which of the following is FALSE about the ocean conveyer belt?

A) It is capable of causing rapid changes in climate

B) In the Atlantic, it is responsible for keeping Europe warmer than it would be

C) In the Atlantic, it is driven by cooling of the water near Greenland

D) Climate change could cause the ocean conveyor belt near Greenland to slow, cooling areas in Europe

E) Movement of waters in the ocean conveyor belt is speeding up due to human activities

E) Movement of waters in the ocean conveyor belt is speeding up due to human activities

When the Earth warms, won't the areas that we lose to agriculture (like the U.S. Midwest) just be replaced by new areas that are now too cold for farming (like Northern Canada)?

A) No. The areas that will warm will still be too cold to farm

B) Yes. There really won't be any problems for agriculture once the Earth warms

C) Maybe. There is more to farming than just climate and more needs to be known about the soil characteristics in those areas

D) No. There aren't enough people in those areas to farm the land

E) Yes. The amount of land that we gain will exactly replace the amount we lose

C) Maybe. There is more to farming than just climate and more needs to be known about the soil characteristics in those areas

Which of the following is a reason why sea level will rise as a response to global warming?

A) Increased temperatures will cause the Earth's tectonic plates to swell, pushing the ocean floor upwards

B) Increased temperatures will cause an increase in ocean life to die and the ocean will swell due to the massive decomposition of organic matter

C) Increased temperatures will cause an increase in ocean life and the ocean will swell as a result

D) Increased temperatures will cause the ocean water to expand

E) Global warming is not expected to cause the sea level to rise

D) Increased temperatures will cause the ocean water to expand

Which of the following statements about climate change is FALSE?

A) Climatologists now have complete historical temperature data for the past 100,000 years of the Earth's history

B) Emerging temperature data indicate that warming in the past few decades exceeds that of the past 400 years

C) There have been numerous times over the past million years when it was warmer than it is today

D) Glaciers made a minor advance around 1400 AD during a cold period known as the Little Ice Age

A) Climatologists now have complete historical temperature data for the past 100,000 years of Earth's history

Can humans just adapt to climate change?

A) No. The effects will be too great for us to handle

B) No. Humans are not adaptable creatures

C) Maybe, if the temperature change is 1 degree C or less

D) Yes. The climate isn't expected to change enough to affect humans

E) Yes, but it depends on the rate of temperature change as well as intensity

E) Yes, but it depends on the rate of temperature change as well as intensity

The gases that comprise most of the atmosphere have little impact on the weather.

True or false

True

The depletion of the ozone layer is caused by the greenhouse effect.

True or false

False

Because glaciers move slowly, they do not pose any sort of threat to society.

True or false

False

The greenhouse effect is completely natural and necessary for human life to exist on Earth.

True or false

True

In addition to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, scientists are working on plans to store the gases instead of releasing them into the atmosphere.

True or false

True