Deck 15: The Climate System

Question 1

Which of the following energy fluxes is the greatest?

A)energy flowing out of Earth's interior
B)solar energy absorbed by Earth's atmosphere
C)solar energy absorbed by Earth's surface
D)solar energy reflected by clouds and surface

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is a negative feedback within the climate system?

A)albedo
B)radiation
C)water vapor
D)none of the above (all are positive feedbacks)

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following statements about large volcanic eruptions,such as the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo,is true?

A)Global temperatures decrease and return to normal in approximately 2 weeks.
B)Global temperatures decrease and return to normal in approximately 4 years.
C)Global temperatures increase and return to normal in approximately 2 weeks.
D)Global temperatures increase and return to normal in approximately 4 years.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The amount of energy input to Earth's surface is __________ the heat flowing out of Earth's deep interior.

A)much greater than
B)slightly less than
C)slightly greater than
D)much less than

Question 5

Solar radiation absorbed by Earth's ground surface is reemitted as

A)infrared radiation.
B)visible radiation.
C)ultraviolet radiation.
D)x-ray radiation.

Question 6

How has the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere changed since the start of the Industrial Revolution?

A)levels have increased by 20 ppm
B)levels have increased by 40 ppm
C)levels have increased by 60 ppm
D)levels have increased by 90 ppm

Question 7

The ___________ system describes the average surface conditions and their variation as a result of the input of solar energy forces.

A)radiation
B)climate
C)greenhouse
D)stratosphere

Question 8

Which of the following occurs with increasing temperature?

A)The energy radiated by a blackbody decreases and the wavelength decreases.
B)The energy radiated by a blackbody decreases and the wavelength increases.
C)The energy radiated by a blackbody increases and the wavelength decreases.
D)The energy radiated by a blackbody increases and the wavelength increases.

Question 9

Compared with the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum,infrared radiation has

A)longer wavelengths and higher energies.
B)longer wavelengths and lower energies.
C)shorter wavelengths and higher energies.
D)shorter wavelengths and lower energies.

Question 10

Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas?

A)carbon dioxide
B)methane
C)sulfur dioxide
D)water vapor

Question 11

What is Earth's albedo?

A)the fraction of Earth's surface that is covered by land
B)the fraction of Earth's surface that is covered by oceans
C)the fraction of solar energy absorbed by Earth's surface
D)the fraction of solar energy reflected by Earth's surface

Question 12

Which of the following processes produces ozone?

A)absorption of infrared radiation
B)ionization by ultraviolet radiation
C)chemical weathering
D)photosynthesis

Question 13

The greenhouse effect is caused by

A)carbon dioxide and water vapor that trap heat radiating from Earth's surface.
B)heating of homes and businesses,which releases excess heat into the atmosphere.
C)oceans that trap heat radiating from Earth's seafloors.
D)too many plants on the surface of Earth,which prevents cooling of the surface.

Question 14

What is Earth's albedo?

A)approximately 10%
B)approximately 30%
C)approximately 60%
D)approximately 90%

Question 15

The main component(s)of the climate system is(are)

A)the hydrosphere.
B)the cryosphere.
C)the atmosphere.
D)the hydrosphere,the cryosphere,and the atmosphere.

Question 16

Approximately how long does it take for a parcel of air to circle the globe?

A)approximately 1 day
B)approximately 1 week
C)approximately 1 month
D)approximately 1 year

Question 17

What is the cryosphere?

A)barren desert
B)upper atmosphere
C)ice caps and glaciers
D)upper mantle beneath the lithosphere

Question 18

If Earth's atmosphere did not contain greenhouse gases,Earth's surface would be

A)approximately 33°C cooler.
B)approximately 10°C warmer.
C)approximately 10°C cooler.
D)approximately 33°C warmer.

Question 19

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Negative and positive feedbacks both tend to amplify changes in a system.
B)Negative feedbacks tend to amplify changes in a system; positive feedbacks tend to stabilize a system.
C)Negative feedbacks tend to stabilize a system; positive feedbacks tend to amplify changes in a system.
D)Negative and positive feedbacks both tend to stabilize a system.

Question 20

Which of the following climate feedback systems is considerably uncertain in that we do not know whether the net effect is a positive feedback or a negative feedback?

A)albedo
B)clouds
C)plant growth
D)water vapor

Question 21

Which of the following elements has the shortest residence time in the oceans?

A)calcium
B)iron
C)sodium
D)Calcium,iron,and sodium all have the same residence time.

Question 22

Which of the following is the current warm interglacial period?

A)the Holocene
B)the Miocene
C)the Paleocene
D)the Pleistocene

Question 23

Which of the following elements has the longest residence time in the atmosphere?

A)nitrogen
B)oxygen
C)sulfur dioxide
D)Nitrogen,oxygen,and sulfur dioxide all have the same residence time.

Question 24

Solar radiation transforms oxygen molecules in the upper atmosphere into which of the following compounds?

A)carbon dioxide
B)chlorine
C)ozone
D)water vapor

Question 25

The biosphere is composed of

A)plants living near Earth's surface.
B)microbes living near Earth's surface.
C)animals living near Earth's surface.
D)all organisms living near Earth's surface.

Question 26

The process whereby warm water from equatorial regions is moved to more polar regions in the ocean basins is called

A)thermohaline circulation.
B)thermosphere circulation.
C)cryospheric circulation.
D)hydrocline circulation.

Question 27

Weathering of carbonate and silicate rocks

A)adds carbon to the atmosphere and the lithosphere.
B)adds carbon to the atmosphere and removes carbon from the lithosphere.
C)removes carbon from the atmosphere and adds carbon to the lithosphere.
D)removes carbon from the atmosphere and the lithosphere.

Question 28

Which of the following statements regarding ozone is false?

A)Chlorofluorocarbons are depleting the ozone layer.
B)Ozone absorbs harmful infrared radiation.
C)Ozone forms from oxygen in the stratosphere.
D)Ozone is a greenhouse gas.

Question 29

What is the chemical formula for ozone?

A)O
B)O₂
C)O₃
D)O₄

Question 30

How much did the average surface temperature increase during the twentieth century?

A)approximately 0.3°C
B)approximately 0.6°C
C)approximately 1.2°C
D)approximately 2.4°C

Question 31

What proportion of the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere each year stays in the atmosphere?

A)approximately 25%
B)approximately 50%
C)approximately 75%
D)approximately 100%

Question 32

Chemical analysis of ice cores demonstrates that as temperature increases,concentrations of atmospheric

A)carbon dioxide and methane both decrease.
B)carbon dioxide decreases while methane increases.
C)carbon dioxide increases while methane decreases.
D)carbon dioxide and methane both increase.

Question 33

Which of the following carbon fluxes is the greatest?

A)air-sea gas exchange
B)photosynthesis and respiration
C)chemical weathering
D)volcanism

Question 34

The residence time of sodium in the ocean is approximately ___________ years.

A)400
B)20,000
C)1 million
D)50 million

Question 35

Which of the following has dramatically changed the carbon cycle over the past 150 years?

A)burial of organic carbon
B)deposition of carbon-rich sediments
C)burning of fossil fuels
D)volcanism

Question 36

Which of the following processes removes carbon from the atmosphere?

A)photosynthesis
B)respiration
C)volcanism
D)all of the above

Question 37

At the last glacial maximum,sea level was approximately ______ lower than today.

A)10 m
B)130 m
C)200 m
D)1000 m

Question 38

How often do El Niño events occur?

A)roughly every 5 years
B)roughly every 20 years
C)roughly every 100 years
D)roughly every 400 years

Question 39

Based on ice core data,how rapidly can Earth shift from ice age to interglacial temperatures?

A)30 to 50 years
B)100 to 300 years
C)1000 to 3000 years
D)10,000 to 30,000 years

Question 40

The ________ is the ice component of the climate system.

A)hydrosphere
B)glaciosphere
C)cryosphere
D)stratosphere

Question 41

The greenhouse effect describes

A)the way in which Earth's atmosphere traps heat.
B)the way in which Earth reflects heat energy.
C)the way in which Earth's ozone layer reflects heat.
D)the release of O₂ into the atmosphere from plants.

Question 42

Periodic variations in the amount of heat that Earth's surface receives from the Sun are best explained by

A)Vostok cycles.
B)Milankovitch cycles.
C)Holocene cycles.
D)Wisconsin cycles.

Question 43

The flux that removes excess calcium from the ocean basins is

A)evaporation.
B)sedimentation of calcium carbonate.
C)subduction.
D)reaction with sodium.

Question 44

The lowermost layer of Earth's atmosphere is called the

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

Question 45

The amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere is increasing at a rate of ____ per year.

A)1)4%
B)10%
C)5%
D)0)4%

Question 46

The greatest carbon flux comes from the cycling of atmospheric CO₂ through

A)respiration.
B)precipitation.
C)photosynthesis.
D)sedimentation.

Question 47

The anomalous warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean that occurs every 3 to 7 years is called

A)Milankovitch cycles.
B)La Niña.
C)El Niño.
D)ENSO.

Question 48

In Earth's climate system,positive feedbacks tend to ______ changes in the system,and negative feedbacks tend to ________ the system against change.

A)stabilize; amplify
B)amplify; stabilize
C)stabilize; protect
D)amplify; destabilize

Question 49

Equilibrium between incoming and outgoing radiant energy on Earth is called the

A)thermo balance.
B)radiant equilibration.
C)radiation balance.
D)thermal equalization.

Question 50

Geochemical cycles trace the flux of chemical elements from one ______ to another.

A)model
B)interface
C)reservoir
D)ocean basin

Question 51

The Milankovitch cycles are dependent on Earth's

A)orbital eccentricity.
B)precession.
C)angle of tilt on the rotation axis.
D)orbital eccentricity,precession,and angle of tilt on the rotation axis.

Question 52

The most recent ice age,which peaked 18,000 years ago,is called the ________ glaciation.

A)Wisconsin
B)Vostok
C)Pleistocene
D)Milankovitch

Question 53

Residence times of chemical elements in the ______ are usually shorter than in the _______.

A)atmosphere; biosphere
B)oceans; atmosphere
C)biosphere; oceans
D)atmosphere; oceans

Question 54

Evidence for episodes of continental glaciations in the rock record have occurred in the

A)Proterozoic eon.
B)Ordovician period.
C)Permian-Pennsylvanian periods.
D)Carboniferous period.

Question 55

The most common chemical element in Earth's atmosphere is

A)oxygen.
B)nitrogen.
C)sulfur.
D)carbon dioxide.

Question 56

What is the Moon's albedo?

A)approximately 10%
B)approximately 30%
C)approximately 60%
D)approximately 90%

Question 57

A representation of the climate system that can reproduce aspects of climate behavior is known as the

A)climate feedback loop.
B)climate replication hypothesis.
C)climate predictor.
D)climate model.

Question 58

Following recent large volcanic eruptions global temperatures have typically dropped by ______ °C.

A)0.3
B)1.3
C)3
D)30

Question 59

Over the last 150 years CO₂ levels in the atmosphere have

A)increased.
B)remained the same.
C)decreased.
D)increased,and then decreased.

Question 60

Volcanic processes transport gases and aerosols from the _______ to the ________.

A)lithosphere; atmosphere
B)atmosphere; lithosphere
C)lithosphere; hydrosphere
D)hydrosphere; lithosphere

Question 61

The negative feedback that keeps Earth's surface temperature stable is called the ________ feedback?

A)plant growth
B)water vapor
C)albedo
D)radiative dampening

Question 62

All the main components of the climate system derive their energy from the sun,except one.Which one of the following is not fueled by solar energy?

A)the biosphere
B)the cryosphere
C)the atmosphere
D)the lithosphere

Question 63

How could rapid uplift of the Himalayas and Tibet Plateau have prompted the onset of ice ages?

A)by decreasing weathering rates and decreasing atmospheric carbon dioxide
B)by decreasing weathering rates and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide
C)by increasing weathering rates and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide
D)by increasing weathering rates and decreasing atmospheric carbon dioxide

Question 64

The residence time of sodium in the oceans is roughly 50 million years.Why is it so long?

A)The ocean is a small reservoir.
B)The sodium inflow is high.
C)Sodium is highly soluble in seawater.
D)Sodium is an insoluble element.

Question 65

How much land surface is currently occupied by glaciers and ice sheets?

A)5%
B)10%
C)15%
D)30%

Question 66

As the Gulf Stream flows north it becomes more saline.Why is that?

A)Rivers in the North Atlantic are more saline.
B)The Gulf Stream evaporates,leaving saltier water behind.
C)Evaporation removes fresh water from the surface water while little enters via rivers.
D)The Greenland ice sucks up fresh water from the current leaving it saltier.

Question 67

How have levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere changed since the start of the Industrial Revolution?

A)They have increased slightly.
B)They have decreased significantly.
C)The have remained constant.
D)They have increased at a growing rate.

Question 68

On the Moon,daytime temperatures can reach ______°C and nighttime temperatures ________°C.

A)14; −19
B)130; −170
C)10; 0
D)75; −10

Question 69

The majority of the incoming solar radiation is

A)reflected back into space.
B)absorbed by the atmosphere.
C)absorbed by the ground.
D)absorbed by the biomass.

Question 70

Which one of the main components of the climate system is the most mobile and changes most rapidly?

A)the hydrosphere
B)the cryosphere
C)the atmosphere
D)the lithosphere

Question 71

Around the year ______,carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere started to increase dramatically.

A)1200
B)1400
C)1600
D)1800

Question 72

As the Gulf Stream flows into the North Atlantic Ocean it becomes ____ and________.

A)colder; more saline
B)colder; less saline
C)hotter; less saline
D)hotter; more saline

Question 73

The "ozone shield" is useful because it

A)absorbs infrared radiation.
B)absorbs ultraviolet radiation.
C)absorbs all solar radiation.
D)shields Earth from meteorites.

Question 74

During which 100-year period did CO₂ atmospheric levels increase the most?

A)1200 to 1300
B)1400 to 1500
C)1800 to 1900
D)1900 to 2000

Question 75

Roughly what percentage of the incoming solar radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere?

A)5%
B)20%
C)40%
D)60%

Question 76

What is the name of the climate variation that is similar to El Niño but occurs in a different ocean?

A)La Niña
B)Northern Oscillation
C)North Atlantic Oscillation
D)ENSO

Question 77

Which of the following ocean currents would you expect to be densest?

A)cold and low salinity
B)cold and high salinity
C)hot and low salinity
D)hot and high salinity

Question 78

Which following climate system components transports and stores the most energy?

A)the hydrosphere
B)the cryosphere
C)the atmosphere
D)the biosphere

Question 79

How can we trace enhanced CO₂ atmospheric levels back to human activity?

A)with oxygen isotopes
B)with carbon isotopes
C)with calcium isotopes
D)with nitrogen isotopes

Question 80

In the absence of greenhouse gases Earth would

A)absorb more of the solar radiation.
B)freeze over.
C)radiate more in the infrared.
D)warm up from within through lithospheric conduction.