Question 1

The combustion of coal and oil is a major source of which greenhouse gas?

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon dioxide 
B)  methane 
C)  CFCs 
D)  ozone 
A)  carbon dioxide 
B)  methane 
C)  CFCs 
D)  ozone

Question 2

The eccentricity portion of Milankovitch's astronomical theory refers to:

Accepted Answer

A)  changes in the shape of Earth's orbit. 
B)  changes in the rate of Earth's rotation. 
C)  changes in the tilt of Earth's axis. 
D)  variations in the energy emitted by the Sun. 
E)  the unpredictability of Earth's weather. 
A)  changes in the shape of Earth's orbit. 
B)  changes in the rate of Earth's rotation. 
C)  changes in the tilt of Earth's axis. 
D)  variations in the energy emitted by the Sun. 
E)  the unpredictability of Earth's weather.

Question 3

Why is the idea of plate tectonics only considered for climate changes that occur over very long periods?

Accepted Answer

The rate o

Question 4

What property of glacial ice helps climatologists to reconstruct the CO2 concentrations of the atmosphere during the past?

Accepted Answer

A)  The ratio of oxygen isotopes in the ice. 
B)  The contents of the air bubbles trapped in the ice. 
C)  The amount of 16O in the water. 
D)  The amount of volcanic ash frozen in the ice. 
A)  The ratio of oxygen isotopes in the ice. 
B)  The contents of the air bubbles trapped in the ice. 
C)  The amount of 16O in the water. 
D)  The amount of volcanic ash frozen in the ice.

Question 5

One source of oxygen isotope measurements used for climate reconstruction come from:

Accepted Answer

A)  air pollution. 
B)  cores from old trees. 
C)  packrat middens. 
D)  sea floor sediments. 
A)  air pollution. 
B)  cores from old trees. 
C)  packrat middens. 
D)  sea floor sediments.

Question 6

If a volcanic eruption produces a climate impact that lasts for a year or longer, the most likely culprit is:

Accepted Answer

A)  ash suspended in the atmosphere. 
B)  a high volume of debris ejected during the eruption. 
C)  the state of the climate at the time of the eruption. 
D)  aerosols produced by sulfur dioxide emitted from the volcano. 
A)  ash suspended in the atmosphere. 
B)  a high volume of debris ejected during the eruption. 
C)  the state of the climate at the time of the eruption. 
D)  aerosols produced by sulfur dioxide emitted from the volcano.

Question 7

The person who first developed and strongly advocated the astronomical theory was:

Accepted Answer

A)  Randall Cerveny. 
B)  Thomas Schmidlin. 
C)  Milutin Milankovitch. 
D)  Stanley Changnon. 
E)  Edward Tarbuck. 
A)  Randall Cerveny. 
B)  Thomas Schmidlin. 
C)  Milutin Milankovitch. 
D)  Stanley Changnon. 
E)  Edward Tarbuck.

Question 8

Warming temperatures melt ice cover, exposing a darker surface that absorbs more solar radiation. In response, the air warms even further. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

A)  a negative feedback mechanism. 
B)  a variable- feedback mechanism. 
C)  a positive feedback mechanism. 
D)  a stable- feedback mechanism. 
A)  a negative feedback mechanism. 
B)  a variable- feedback mechanism. 
C)  a positive feedback mechanism. 
D)  a stable- feedback mechanism.

Question 9

Sulfur dioxide aerosols:

Accepted Answer

A)  can serve as condensation nuclei. 
B)  do not exist in reality. 
C)  are rarely emitted during volcanic eruptions. 
D)  lower cloud albedo. 
A)  can serve as condensation nuclei. 
B)  do not exist in reality. 
C)  are rarely emitted during volcanic eruptions. 
D)  lower cloud albedo.

Question 10

Recent years have been some of the warmest years measured.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a projected effect of global warming for the coming century?

Accepted Answer

A)  increased risk of landslides and mudslides 
B)  a decrease in the areas affected by drought 
C)  increase in intense hurricane activity 
D)  increased risk of avalanches 
A)  increased risk of landslides and mudslides 
B)  a decrease in the areas affected by drought 
C)  increase in intense hurricane activity 
D)  increased risk of avalanches

Question 12

Astronomical causes of climate change occur with cycles of:

Accepted Answer

A)  100 million yrs. 
B)  20,000 yrs. 
C)  1 - 5 million yrs. 
D)  450,000 yrs. 
E)  26,000 - 100,000 yrs. 
A)  100 million yrs. 
B)  20,000 yrs. 
C)  1 - 5 million yrs. 
D)  450,000 yrs. 
E)  26,000 - 100,000 yrs.

Question 13

Why are the climate forecasts of GCMs not to be fully trusted?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are still not capable of simulating anything but air temperature. 
B)  Underlying assumptions influence the outcome and may not be totally accurate. 
C)  Researchers often tweak the outcome to match political agendas. 
D)  The physics involved are still not fully understood. 
A)  They are still not capable of simulating anything but air temperature. 
B)  Underlying assumptions influence the outcome and may not be totally accurate. 
C)  Researchers often tweak the outcome to match political agendas. 
D)  The physics involved are still not fully understood.

Question 14

A major part of the greenhouse effect is that it involves the absorption of the earth's outgoing radiation by atmospheric gases. Along with carbon dioxide, what atmospheric component is largely responsible for this process?

Accepted Answer

A)  nitrogen 
B)  oxygen 
C)  water vapor 
D)  nitrous oxide 
A)  nitrogen 
B)  oxygen 
C)  water vapor 
D)  nitrous oxide

Question 15

The type of aerosol that warms the atmosphere by absorbing solar radiation and increasing the surface albedo of snow and ice is called:

Accepted Answer

A)  black carbon. 
B)  smoke particulate. 
C)  nitrous oxide. 
D)  dark matter. 
A)  black carbon. 
B)  smoke particulate. 
C)  nitrous oxide. 
D)  dark matter.

Question 16

Studies of ocean- floor sediments are of little use when studying long- term climate change.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

You find an old tree stump in a forest and would like to use it for tree- ring analysis, but you don't know when the tree was cut down. The best way to establish dates for the analysis is to:

Accepted Answer

A)  compare patterns in the tree rings to ring chronologies sampled from nearby trees on known dates. 
B)  assign small rings to years of known droughts. 
C)  estimate the age of the tree stump based on the level of decay it has experienced. 
D)  submit the tree stump to carbon- 14 dating analysis. 
A)  compare patterns in the tree rings to ring chronologies sampled from nearby trees on known dates. 
B)  assign small rings to years of known droughts. 
C)  estimate the age of the tree stump based on the level of decay it has experienced. 
D)  submit the tree stump to carbon- 14 dating analysis.

Question 18

Global warming is obviously associated with temperature increases. List two additional effects that global warming may have upon Earth's climate.

Accepted Answer

Changes in precipitation patte

Question 19

In what way were humans influencing climate prior to the Industrial Revolution?

Accepted Answer

A)  gathering wood for individual cooking fires 
B)  hunting and gathering excessively 
C)  alteration of ground cover for grazing and agriculture 
D)  releasing CO2 by burning large quantities of coal 
A)  gathering wood for individual cooking fires 
B)  hunting and gathering excessively 
C)  alteration of ground cover for grazing and agriculture 
D)  releasing CO2 by burning large quantities of coal

Question 20

The cryosphere consists of:

Accepted Answer

A)  ice and snow. 
B)  plants and animals. 
C)  rock and soil. 
D)  air. 
E)  Antarctica and New Zealand. 
A)  ice and snow. 
B)  plants and animals. 
C)  rock and soil. 
D)  air. 
E)  Antarctica and New Zealand.

The combustion of coal and oil is a major source of which greenhouse gas?

The eccentricity portion of Milankovitch's astronomical theory refers to:

Why is the idea of plate tectonics only considered for climate changes that occur over very long periods?

What property of glacial ice helps climatologists to reconstruct the CO₂concentrations of the atmosphere during the past?

One source of oxygen isotope measurements used for climate reconstruction come from:

If a volcanic eruption produces a climate impact that lasts for a year or longer, the most likely culprit is:

The person who first developed and strongly advocated the astronomical theory was:

Warming temperatures melt ice cover, exposing a darker surface that absorbs more solar radiation. In response, the air warms even further. This is an example of:

Sulfur dioxide aerosols:

Recent years have been some of the warmest years measured.

Which of the following is NOT a projected effect of global warming for the coming century?

Astronomical causes of climate change occur with cycles of:

Why are the climate forecasts of GCMs not to be fully trusted?

A major part of the greenhouse effect is that it involves the absorption of the earth's outgoing radiation by atmospheric gases. Along with carbon dioxide, what atmospheric component is largely responsible for this process?

The type of aerosol that warms the atmosphere by absorbing solar radiation and increasing the surface albedo of snow and ice is called:

Studies of ocean- floor sediments are of little use when studying long- term climate change.

You find an old tree stump in a forest and would like to use it for tree- ring analysis, but you don't know when the tree was cut down. The best way to establish dates for the analysis is to:

Global warming is obviously associated with temperature increases. List two additional effects that global warming may have upon Earth's climate.

In what way were humans influencing climate prior to the Industrial Revolution?

The cryosphere consists of:

Introduction to the Atmosphere

Heating Earths Surface and Atmosphere

Temperature

Moisture and Atmospheric Stability

Forms of Condensation and Precipitation

Air Pressure and Winds

Circulation of the Atmosphere

Air Masses

Weather Patterns

Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

Hurricanes

Weather Analysis and Forecasting

Air Pollution

World Climates

Optical Phenomena of the Atmosphere

Filters

Exam 14: The Changing Climate

The combustion of coal and oil is a major source of which greenhouse gas?

The eccentricity portion of Milankovitch's astronomical theory refers to:

Why is the idea of plate tectonics only considered for climate changes that occur over very long periods?

What property of glacial ice helps climatologists to reconstruct the CO2 concentrations of the atmosphere during the past?

One source of oxygen isotope measurements used for climate reconstruction come from:

If a volcanic eruption produces a climate impact that lasts for a year or longer, the most likely culprit is:

The person who first developed and strongly advocated the astronomical theory was:

Warming temperatures melt ice cover, exposing a darker surface that absorbs more solar radiation. In response, the air warms even further. This is an example of:

Sulfur dioxide aerosols:

Recent years have been some of the warmest years measured.

Which of the following is NOT a projected effect of global warming for the coming century?

Astronomical causes of climate change occur with cycles of:

Why are the climate forecasts of GCMs not to be fully trusted?

A major part of the greenhouse effect is that it involves the absorption of the earth's outgoing radiation by atmospheric gases. Along with carbon dioxide, what atmospheric component is largely responsible for this process?

The type of aerosol that warms the atmosphere by absorbing solar radiation and increasing the surface albedo of snow and ice is called:

Studies of ocean- floor sediments are of little use when studying long- term climate change.

You find an old tree stump in a forest and would like to use it for tree- ring analysis, but you don't know when the tree was cut down. The best way to establish dates for the analysis is to:

Global warming is obviously associated with temperature increases. List two additional effects that global warming may have upon Earth's climate.

In what way were humans influencing climate prior to the Industrial Revolution?

The cryosphere consists of:

Introduction to the Atmosphere

Heating Earths Surface and Atmosphere

Temperature

Moisture and Atmospheric Stability

Forms of Condensation and Precipitation

Air Pressure and Winds

Circulation of the Atmosphere

Air Masses

Weather Patterns

Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

Hurricanes

Weather Analysis and Forecasting

Air Pollution

World Climates

Optical Phenomena of the Atmosphere

Filters

What property of glacial ice helps climatologists to reconstruct the CO₂concentrations of the atmosphere during the past?