Question 1

The majority of the incoming solar radiation is

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

Which of the following processes produces ozone?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

Which of the following energy fluxes is the greatest?

Accepted Answer

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 
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

Question 7

The geologic record suggests that climatic variations through time are

Accepted Answer

A) highly predictable. 
B) erratic. 
C) small. 
D) insignificant. 
A) highly predictable. 
B) erratic. 
C) small. 
D) insignificant.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

The most common chemical element in Earth's atmosphere is

Accepted Answer

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

Question 12

The ________ is the ice component of the climate system.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

The Milankovitch cycles are dependent on Earth's

Accepted Answer

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. 
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 16

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

Over the last 150 years CO2 levels in the atmosphere have

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

What is the cryosphere?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

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. 
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.

Exam 15: The Climate System

The majority of the incoming solar radiation is

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

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

Which of the following processes produces ozone?

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

Which of the following energy fluxes is the greatest?

The geologic record suggests that climatic variations through time are

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

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

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

The most common chemical element in Earth's atmosphere is

The ________ is the ice component of the climate system.

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

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

The Milankovitch cycles are dependent on Earth's

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

Over the last 150 years CO2 levels in the atmosphere have

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

What is the cryosphere?

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

The Earth System

Plate Tectonics: The Unifying Theory

Earth Materials: Minerals and Rocks

Igneous Rocks: Solids From Melts

Sedimentation: Rocks Formed by Surface Processes

Metamorphism: Alteration of Rocks by Temperature and Pressure

Deformation: Modification of Rocks by Folding and Fracturing

Clocks in Rocks: Timing the Geologic Period

Early History of the Terrestrial Planets

History of the Continents

Geobiology: Life Interacts With Earth

Volcanoes

Earthquakes

Exploring Earths Interior

Weathering,erosion,and Mass Wasting: Interactions Between the Climate and Plate Tectonic Systems

The Hydrologic Cycle and Groundwater

Stream Transport: From Mountains to Oceans

Winds and Deserts

Coastlines and Ocean Basins

Glaciers: the Work of Ice

Landscapes: Tectonic and Climate Interaction

The Human Impact of Earths Environment

Filters

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

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

Over the last 150 years CO₂ levels in the atmosphere have