Question 1

Why did Charles Keeling choose to install an atmospheric carbon dioxide monitoring system on Mauna Loa, a volcanic peak on the Big Island of Hawaii?

Accepted Answer

A) The remote location would allow only carbon dioxide that had mixed with the atmosphere to be measured. 
B) The peak is high enough to reach into the upper levels of the atmosphere where carbon dioxide concentrates. 
C) He wanted to better understand the impact volcanoes have on atmospheric carbon dioxide. 
D) The inaccessibility of the location would ensure that his instruments would not be tampered with. 
A) The remote location would allow only carbon dioxide that had mixed with the atmosphere to be measured. 
B) The peak is high enough to reach into the upper levels of the atmosphere where carbon dioxide concentrates. 
C) He wanted to better understand the impact volcanoes have on atmospheric carbon dioxide. 
D) The inaccessibility of the location would ensure that his instruments would not be tampered with.

Question 2

The graph below is the Keeling Curve, a record of carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa beginning in 1958. What can be learned from this graph? What do the two lines (black and grey) tell us?

Accepted Answer

The Keeling Curve shows atmospheric conc

Question 3

The angle of incidence, the angle between incoming beams of sunlight and the Earth's surface, varies with

Accepted Answer

A) distance from the sun. 
B) abundance of carbon dioxide. 
C) latitude. 
D) longitude. 
A) distance from the sun. 
B) abundance of carbon dioxide. 
C) latitude. 
D) longitude.

Question 4

Warming of the global system could cause permafrost to melt, which would release methane into the atmosphere. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

A) unrelated consequences. 
B) a negative feedback process. 
C) a positive feedback process. 
D) an uncertain feedback process. 
A) unrelated consequences. 
B) a negative feedback process. 
C) a positive feedback process. 
D) an uncertain feedback process.

Question 5

Global temperatures have _______ in the past 200 years.

Accepted Answer

A) risen 
B) fallen 
C) fluctuated wildly 
D) stayed constant 
A) risen 
B) fallen 
C) fluctuated wildly 
D) stayed constant

Question 6

Based on the image below, which region of the planet experiences the warmest temperatures in July?

Accepted Answer

A) Mexico 
B) northern Africa 
C) central Africa 
D) southern Africa 
A) Mexico 
B) northern Africa 
C) central Africa 
D) southern Africa

Question 7

The greenhouse effect is

Accepted Answer

A) the current increase in global surface temperatures. 
B) the result of global warming. 
C) a climate change hypothesis that is no longer accepted. 
D) the trapping of reradiated energy by the atmosphere. 
A) the current increase in global surface temperatures. 
B) the result of global warming. 
C) a climate change hypothesis that is no longer accepted. 
D) the trapping of reradiated energy by the atmosphere.

Question 8

Based on the graph below, average annual surface temperatures are

Accepted Answer

A) rising. 
B) falling. 
C) remaining consistent. 
D) rising in the Northern Hemisphere but are unchanged in the Southern Hemisphere. 
A) rising. 
B) falling. 
C) remaining consistent. 
D) rising in the Northern Hemisphere but are unchanged in the Southern Hemisphere.

Question 9

Global climate is an example of a(n)

Accepted Answer

A) unidirectional change. 
B) cyclic change. 
C) static condition. 
D) Earth system. 
A) unidirectional change. 
B) cyclic change. 
C) static condition. 
D) Earth system.

Question 10

Current changes in Earth's climate are most likely caused by

Accepted Answer

A) increased albedo. 
B) The climate is not changing. 
C) natural forcing. 
D) anthropogenic forcing. 
A) increased albedo. 
B) The climate is not changing. 
C) natural forcing. 
D) anthropogenic forcing.

Question 11

The Earth's ________ is the surface and near-surface realm that provides the resources necessary to sustain life.

Accepted Answer

A) biosphere 
B) life capacity 
C) critical zone 
D) geosphere 
A) biosphere 
B) life capacity 
C) critical zone 
D) geosphere

Question 12

Since the industrial revolution, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has

Accepted Answer

A) increased. 
B) decreased. 
C) stayed the same. 
D) fluctuated inconsistently. 
A) increased. 
B) decreased. 
C) stayed the same. 
D) fluctuated inconsistently.

Question 13

Based on the graph below, global sea level is

Accepted Answer

A) gradually increasing. 
B) gradually decreasing. 
C) fluctuating wildly. 
D) remaining consistent. 
A) gradually increasing. 
B) gradually decreasing. 
C) fluctuating wildly. 
D) remaining consistent.

Question 14

Based on the graph below, global temperatures were the coldest ________ years ago.

Accepted Answer

A) 18,000 
B) 10,500 
C) 7,000 
D) 500 
A) 18,000 
B) 10,500 
C) 7,000 
D) 500

Question 15

Has Earth's climate changed in the past? What are some natural causes of long-term climate change? Short-term climate change?

Accepted Answer

Student answers should contain some of t

Question 16

The best indicator of paleoclimate would be

Accepted Answer

A) the thickness of the ozone. 
B) oxidation of stratigraphic deposits. 
C) oxygen-isotope ratios in ice. 
D) salinity in mountain lakes. 
A) the thickness of the ozone. 
B) oxidation of stratigraphic deposits. 
C) oxygen-isotope ratios in ice. 
D) salinity in mountain lakes.

Question 17

Based on the image below, which region of the planet experiences temperatures most similar to those of the western United States in January?

Accepted Answer

A) Mexico 
B) Europe 
C) western South America 
D) India 
A) Mexico 
B) Europe 
C) western South America 
D) India

Question 18

Water has a high heat capacity, which means that

Accepted Answer

A) it can absorb a lot of heat without much change in temperature. 
B) small amounts of heat can increase water temperature dramatically. 
C) it can easily become very hot. 
D) it is a good indicator of temperature change. 
A) it can absorb a lot of heat without much change in temperature. 
B) small amounts of heat can increase water temperature dramatically. 
C) it can easily become very hot. 
D) it is a good indicator of temperature change.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the relationship between sea-level change and climate change?

Accepted Answer

A) Sea-level change and climate change are not related. 
B) Changes in sea level change the distribution of heat and thus change climate. 
C) Increases in sea level cause ice caps to melt and thus result in warming. 
D) Increases in sea level increase the reflectivity of the planet and thus result in cooling. 
A) Sea-level change and climate change are not related. 
B) Changes in sea level change the distribution of heat and thus change climate. 
C) Increases in sea level cause ice caps to melt and thus result in warming. 
D) Increases in sea level increase the reflectivity of the planet and thus result in cooling.

Question 20

When averaged over time, the amount of energy arriving at the Earth from the Sun ________ . This relationship is called the Earth's energy balance.

Accepted Answer

A) is greater than the amount of energy emitted to space by the Earth 
B) is less than the amount of energy emitted to space by the Earth 
C) is equal to the amount of energy emitted to space by the Earth 
D) has been continually increasing 
A) is greater than the amount of energy emitted to space by the Earth 
B) is less than the amount of energy emitted to space by the Earth 
C) is equal to the amount of energy emitted to space by the Earth 
D) has been continually increasing

Exam 20: Climate and Climate Change

Why did Charles Keeling choose to install an atmospheric carbon dioxide monitoring system on Mauna Loa, a volcanic peak on the Big Island of Hawaii?

The graph below is the Keeling Curve, a record of carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa beginning in 1958. What can be learned from this graph? What do the two lines (black and grey) tell us?

The angle of incidence, the angle between incoming beams of sunlight and the Earth's surface, varies with

Warming of the global system could cause permafrost to melt, which would release methane into the atmosphere. This is an example of

Global temperatures have _______ in the past 200 years.

Based on the image below, which region of the planet experiences the warmest temperatures in July?

The greenhouse effect is

Based on the graph below, average annual surface temperatures are

Global climate is an example of a(n)

Current changes in Earth's climate are most likely caused by

The Earth's ________ is the surface and near-surface realm that provides the resources necessary to sustain life.

Since the industrial revolution, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has

Based on the graph below, global sea level is

Based on the graph below, global temperatures were the coldest ________ years ago.

Has Earth's climate changed in the past? What are some natural causes of long-term climate change? Short-term climate change?

The best indicator of paleoclimate would be

Based on the image below, which region of the planet experiences temperatures most similar to those of the western United States in January?

Water has a high heat capacity, which means that

Which of the following best describes the relationship between sea-level change and climate change?

When averaged over time, the amount of energy arriving at the Earth from the Sun ________ . This relationship is called the Earth's energy balance.

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks

A Process of Change: Metamorphism and the Rock Cycle

Crags, Cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Shaping the Earths Surface: Landscapes, the Hydrologic Cycle, and Mass Wasting

Freshwater: Streams, Lakes, and Groundwater

Extreme Realms: Desert and Glacial Landscapes

Ocean Waters: the Blue of the Blue Marble

Marine Geology: the Study of Ocean Basins and Coasts

The Air We Breathe: Introducing Earths Atmosphere

Winds of the World: the Earths Major Weather Systems

Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, and Local Weather Systems

Our Solar System and Beyond

Our Neighborhood in Space

The Sun, Stars, and Deep Space

Prelude: Welcome to Earth Science

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