Deck 19: Human Impacts on Climate

Question 1

Anthropogenic climate change describes:

A) natural climate change
B) human caused climate change
C) extraterrestrial caused climate change
D) climate change due to anthropods

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Burning tropical forests:

A) changes surface albedo
B) changes water balance
C) adds carbon dioxide and particulates to the atmosphere
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

An indicator of warming is:

A) the expansion of deserts
B) the shift of vegetative zones to higher elevations and latitudes
C) the changes in rainfall distribution
D) all of these
E) none of these

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Global temperatures in the 20th Century have:

A) increased steadily
B) increased except for the first half of the century
C) increased except for the 1940 to 1970 period
D) increased steadily until 1970, then slowed down

Question 5

In 1998, a large El Niño year, global temperatures were the warmest recorded until that time. In comparison to the 1961-1990 mean, in 1998 _____________.

A) all areas of the world were warmer
B) the eastern equatorial Pacific was especially warm
C) the western equatorial Pacific was especially warm
D) the entire equatorial zone was especially warm

Question 6

The record heat and drought of 2012 are good evidences of:

A) climate change
B) climatic trends
C) climate cycles
D) none of these
E) all of these

Question 7

The 2013 IPPC report stated that most global warming is ____ due to human activities raising greenhouse gases.

A) virtually certain
B) most likely
C) likely
D) possibly
E) not likely

Question 8

Measurements of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning show that about _____ of the atmospheric increase remains in the air, while the other half is taken up by _____.

A) half; ocean and continents
B) half; rocks and continental plants
C) 75%; plants
D) 25%; plants

Question 9

Global Climate Models (GCMs) show that natural forcing by solar variations and volcanic eruptions:

A) explain the observed global temperature change
B) are very close to explaining observed global temperature change
C) are better at explaining the observed temperature record than anthropogenic influences
D) are not as good at explaining the observed temperature record as anthropogenic influences

Question 10

Most computer models predict that the greatest warming will occur _______.

A) near the equator
B) in tropical continents
C) in tropical oceans
D) in higher latitudes

Question 11

In the 2013 IPCC report, climate change that is predicted to be very likely (more than 90% probability) includes:

A) increased tornadoes in the U.S.
B) increased tropical cyclone intensities
C) more rainfall in the subtropics
D) higher minimum temperatures

Question 12

One of the uncertainties with global climate models is:

A) the effect of increased greenhouse gases on temperatures
B) effect of volcanic eruptions on climate
C) the effect of aerosols in clouds on climate change
D) the effects of sea ice loss on surface heating

Question 13

If human activities had not begun to impact climate some 2000 years ago, our climate would be ___ than what we are experiencing now.

A) warmer
B) cooler
C) about the same
D) more erratic

Question 14

Anthropogenic impacts on climate change probably began:

A) 8000 years ago with the spread of agriculture
B) over 300 years ago with the mass deforestation of Europe
C) only in the last 150 years with the Industrial Revolution
D) only in the last 35 years with the increased burning of fossil fuels

Question 15

The warmest period in recorded history of global temperatures has been:

A) in the 1930s
B) in the 1980s and 90s
C) in the last 15 years
D) none of these

Question 16

The best evidence that global warming is continuing today and that global temperature records are correct is:

A) satellite measurements of the Earth's heat budget
B) continued glacier mass loss and sea level rises
C) the writing of the IPCC
D) high temperature records broken every year

Question 17

Most of the total greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere come from:

A) cities
B) agriculture
C) deforestation and fires
D) volcanoes

Question 18

If you remove anthropogenic forcing in simulated GCM climate models, global temperatures would ____ due to only natural factors.

A) continue to increase
B) decrease
C) remain constant
D) GCMs cannot determine natural factors

Question 19

Increasing water vapor due to higher evaporation in a warmer world would have a ____ feedback.

A) positive
B) negative
C) neither

Question 20

Global climate models (GCMs) are very accurate in predicting future hurricane numbers.

Question 21

The urban heat island is a good indicator of human effects on _____ climate(s).

A) global
B) continental
C) local
D) all of these