Deck 5: Populations and Communities

Question 1

The Younger Dryas event tells us that .

A) we have not always fully understood proxy records, since it turns out that what we call the Younger Dryas event actually took place before the Elder Dryas event
B) climate change has not always necessarily been a gradual process
C) ice core samples are unreliable proxy records
D) the more recent warming trends have typically been associated with unusually dry periods

Answer 1

B

Question 2

As climate change continues, we expect that the countries with the _ .

A) largest coastlines will experience the greatest impacts
B) fewest resources will experience the greatest impacts
C) fewest resources will experience the lowest impacts
D) greatest resources will experience the greatest impacts

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following lines of evidence would best support the argument that Earth's atmosphere is warming as a result of an increase in solar output but would not be the argument that it is warming because of increased concentrations of greenhouse gases?

A) Warming trends are detected in some regions of the planet but not others.
B) Earth's temperature stabilizes when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begins to decrease.
C) The stratosphere shows a warming trend, but the troposphere shows a cooling trend.
D) Both the troposphere and stratosphere show warming trends.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Milankovitch cycles _.

A) are changes in Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun that may trigger climate variation
B) describe the transpiration, evaporation, and precipitation of Earth's water
C) describe the interaction between Earth and the Moon that results in periods of rapid temperature variations
D) refer to shifts in the temperature of surface water in the middle latitudes of the Pacific Ocean

Question 5

Greenhouse gases trap in the atmosphere.

A) visible light
B) gamma radiation
C) ultraviolet radiation
D) infrared radiation

Question 6

If you could hop in a time machine and go back millions of years, which of the following are you unlikely to find when you step out of your time machine?

A) An Earth whose atmosphere contains eight times more carbon dioxide in its atmosphere than it does today
B) An Earth with continents and oceans far different from those of today
C) An Earth so warm that it lacked polar ice caps
D) An Earth completely inundated by sea, lacking any land masses

Question 7

Which of the following parts of the electromagnetic spectrum emitted by the sun has the strongest effect on climate?

A) Microwaves
B) Gamma rays
C) Visible light
D) Far infrared radiation

Question 8

If Earth had no atmosphere, _ .

A) Earth would experience much larger and more severe storms
B) the surface of Earth would be considerably colder
C) the concentrations of Earth's greenhouse gases would be much greater than they are
D) less of the sun's energy would strike Earth

Question 9

When volcanoes erupt, they emit into the atmosphere, resulting in a cooling effect on the planet.

A) methane
B) nitrous oxide
C) sulfate aerosols
D) water vapor

Question 10

Increasing levels of greenhouse gases have caused a .

A) decrease in ocean temperatures and a decrease in ocean pH
B) rise in ocean temperatures and an increase in ocean pH
C) rise in ocean temperatures and a decrease in ocean pH
D) decrease in ocean temperatures and an increase in ocean pH

Question 11

Which one of the following best illustrates a type of mitigation strategy in response to climate change?

A) Constructing and using wind turbines to generate electricity
B) Building sea walls to protect low- lying areas from rising sea levels
C) Using scrubbers to remove sulfur from coal before burning it to generate electricity
D) Using coal- generated electricity to power electric cars

Question 12

Which of the following has the highest albedo?

A) A green tent
B) A white car
C) A healthy oak tree
D) A blacktop road

Question 13

Which of the following is the most abundant long- lived greenhouse gas in our atmosphere?

A) Methane
B) Carbon dioxide
C) Nitrous oxide
D) Water vapor

Question 14

All of the following would result in a positive feedback loop except .

A) an increase in global temperatures increases evaporation of surface waters, which increases the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere
B) the melting of ice sheets in Greenland causes rocks that had previously been covered in ice and snow to be exposed to sunlight
C) an increase in volcanic activity causes sulfate aerosols to be released into the atmosphere
D) an increase in global temperatures causes people to use more electricity for air conditioning

Question 15

What may be a biological implication of global climate change?

A) In general, plants and animals will probably benefit from warmer temperatures.
B) Since biodiversity is usually higher in warmer, milder climates, there will be little or no ecological implications.
C) Since farmland may be lost, the habitats of plants and animals may increase in area.
D) Plants and animals may not be able to move to a suitable habitat quickly enough.

Question 16

Recent research indicates that the variation in solar output _.

A) is greater than all the anthropogenic factors affecting climate change
B) has a radiative force of 20 watts/m2
C) is the major factor driving temperature change
D) is less than any of the human- caused factors affecting climate change

Question 17

Which of the following would be classified as an aerosol?

A) Gasoline fumes
B) Ragweed pollen
C) CFCs
D) Water vapor

Question 18

What of the following is a major impact related to sea level rise?

A) Shorelines eroding in coastal areas
B) Deforestation occurring as salt in the atmosphere increases
C) Land vanishing near lakes and rivers
D) Fish migrating earlier than usual

Question 19

Which one of the following has been decreasing over the past several decades?

A) Methane levels in the troposphere
B) pH of the world's oceans
C) Mean global temperature
D) Sea levels

Question 20

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the climate models shown?

A) The climate forcings of volcanic eruptions are difficult to model.
B) Anomalous temperatures have become more common during the past 50 years as a result of natural forcings.
C) The volcanic eruptions shown have resulted in a long- term cooling trend over the past 50 years.
D) Models that include human emissions of greenhouse gases best explain global temperature trends during the time period shown.

Question 21

Which of the following is an artificial compound that acts as a greenhouse gas?

A) Carbon dioxide
B) Nitrous oxide
C) Methane
D) Chlorofluorocarbons

Question 22

The Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that .

A) Earth has never experienced the level of warming that has occurred over the past 30 years.
B) Earth has actually been cooling for the past 15 years.
C) Earth is now at its warmest point in the past 800- 1400 years.
D) modern global climate change has been triggered primarily by natural causes.

Question 23

Which of the following have contributed most to the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over the past 250 years?

A) The thawing of permafrost and habitat alteration for agriculture
B) Deforestation and ocean acidification
C) Deforestation and combustion of fossil fuels
D) Volcanic eruptions and widespread forest fires

Question 24

Over the past 50 years the average rate of sea level rise has been 1.8 mm per year. Explain the two primary factors responsible for this rise in sea level.

Question 25

Carbon dioxide is _ .

A) the most abundant greenhouse gas
B) the only greenhouse gas presently increasing in the atmosphere
C) more potent (per molecule of gas) than methane
D) produced during the combustion of fossil fuels

Question 26

Which of the following is causing global sea levels to rise?

A) Large amounts of carbon dioxide diffusing into seawater
B) The expansion of ocean water as it warms
C) Airborne silt and sand from desertified landscapes forming sediments on the bottom of oceans
D) Greatly increased precipitation

Question 27

Which of the following gases has the greatest impact on global climate change?

A) Carbon dioxide
B) Water vapor
C) Nitrous oxide
D) Methane

Question 28

Explain what mitigation strategies are, and describe two mitigation approaches that are currently being employed to address climate change.

Question 29

Global temperature trends can be reconstructed from proxy records such as and .

A) lake sediments; gases trapped in glacial ice cores
B) the frequency of volcanic eruptions; gases trapped in glacial ice cores
C) the frequency of volcanic eruptions; fossils
D) fossils; sea level records

Question 30

Scientists use proxy records in climate research to determine .

A) climates hundreds and thousands of years ago
B) changes in the ozone layer over the past 30 years
C) current levels of carbon dioxide
D) changes in temperature over the past 100 years

Question 31

Growing rice results in the release of into the atmosphere.

A) CFCs
B) sulfate aerosols
C) methane
D) sulfur oxides

Question 32

Which of the following gases has the greatest global warming potential (GWP)?

A) CO₂
B) N₂O
C) Ozone
D) CH₄

Question 33

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an international panel that .

A) constructed and oversees the Montreal Protocol
B) could not achieve its objectives because of lack of popular support
C) summarizes research and reports on potential future impacts of climate change
D) performed the research included in the climate change findings

Question 34

Why is the concept of climate forcing critical to understanding the causes of global climate change?

Question 35

The most dramatic temperature shifts in the past few decades have been .

A) in Arctic areas such as Canada and Greenland
B) on land near the equator
C) in the oceans nearest the equator
D) in the inland areas of South America and Africa

Question 36

Which of the following would cause a negative forcing?

A) A large volcanic eruption spewing ash high into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight around the world for years until the ash cloud slowly dissipates
B) Snow- covered ice sheets in Greenland melting and revealing bare rock
C) An increase in the burning of fossil fuels, leading to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
D) All of these scenarios would cause a negative forcing.

Question 37

Which one of the following best illustrates a type of adaptation strategy in response to climate change?

A) Widening the Panama Canal to allow larger ships to move from China to Europe
B) Building taller levees along ocean coastlines to hold back rising sea levels and storm surges
C) Using solar and nuclear power to generate electricity instead of burning coal
D) Increasing the use of public transportation systems in cities

Question 38

Which one of the following has a net negative forcing effect on global climate?

A) Carbon dioxide
B) Methane
C) Water vapor
D) Sulfate aerosols