Question 1

Which of the following occurs with increasing temperature?

Accepted Answer

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. 
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 2

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

The lowermost layer of Earth's atmosphere is called the

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

Besides ENSO in the Pacific Ocean,what other ocean might have a similar pattern?

Accepted Answer

A) Arctic Sea 
B) Indian Ocean 
C) North Atlantic 
D) Baltic Sea 
A) Arctic Sea 
B) Indian Ocean 
C) North Atlantic 
D) Baltic Sea

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

Roughly what are the periodicities of the Milankovitch cycles in years?

Accepted Answer

A) 2,000 - 20,000 - 200,000 
B) 20,000 - 40,000 - 100,000 
C) 10,000 - 20,000 - 40,000 
D) 50,000 - 100,000 - 1,000,000 
A) 2,000 - 20,000 - 200,000 
B) 20,000 - 40,000 - 100,000 
C) 10,000 - 20,000 - 40,000 
D) 50,000 - 100,000 - 1,000,000

Question 12

The flux that removes excess calcium from the ocean basins is

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

What is Earth's albedo?

Accepted Answer

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 
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 20

The greenhouse effect describes

Accepted Answer

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. 
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.

Exam 15: The Climate System

Which of the following occurs with increasing temperature?

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

Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas?

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

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

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?

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

The lowermost layer of Earth's atmosphere is called the

Besides ENSO in the Pacific Ocean,what other ocean might have a similar pattern?

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

Roughly what are the periodicities of the Milankovitch cycles in years?

The flux that removes excess calcium from the ocean basins is

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is Earth's albedo?

The greenhouse effect describes

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

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

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