Question 1

Assume that you have 100 years of continuous temperature records from your local weather service office.Discuss some of the difficulties you might have trying to determine whether average temperatures have increased during this period.

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Question 2

Everything else being equal,a gradual increase in global CO2 would most likely bring about

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A)  an increase in surface air temperature. 
B)  a marked decrease in plant growth. 
C)  a decrease in evaporation from the earth's oceans. 
D)  no change in global climate.

Question 3

It is now known that,overall,clouds

Accepted Answer

A)  have a net warming effect on climate. 
B)  have a net cooling effect on climate. 
C)  have no net effect on climate. 
D)  are the single most important feature in determining climate.

Question 4

A high concentration of oxygen 16 found in the ice caves of Antarctica and Greenland would indicate ____ at the time the ice was formed.

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A)  cold air temperatures 
B)  mild winters 
C)  intense ultraviolet radiation 
D)  the caves were under the ocean

Question 5

During the next 100 years,the greatest surface warming is project to be in the

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A)  tropics. 
B)  mid-latitudes. 
C)  polar regions.

Question 6

Describe some of the techniques used to infer past climates.About how far into the past are these different methods able to reconstruct past climatic conditions?

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Question 7

Discuss the changes that occur in the earth's orbit and orientation of the earth in its orbit.Over what time scales do these different changes occur?

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Question 8

All atmospheric aerosols are injected directly into the earth's atmosphere by either natural or human-made sources.

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A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Which of the conditions below would most likely produce warming at the earth's surface?

Accepted Answer

A)  increase the amount of low-level global cloudiness 
B)  increase the amount of sulfur-rich particles in the stratosphere 
C)  decrease the energy output of the sun 
D)  increase the amount of global snow cover 
E)  increase the amount of high-level global cloud cover

Question 10

Does deforestation act to increase or decrease atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations?

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Question 11

In addition to carbon dioxide,what other gases may contribute to the problem of global warming? Why might global warming lead to an increase in global cloudiness? What possible effects would increased cloudiness have on global warming?

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Question 12

During the Little Ice Age,

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A)  the climatic optimum occurred. 
B)  the Bering land bridge formed. 
C)  alpine glaciers grew in size and advanced. 
D)  continental glaciers covered large portions of North America. 
E)  sea level lowered by about 280 feet.

Question 13

The "year without a summer" (1816)may have been caused by

Accepted Answer

A)  soot from coal fires. 
B)  particulate matter and gases from volcanoes. 
C)  a dust cloud produced when a meteorite collided with the earth. 
D)  deforestation.

Question 14

What are some of the possible consequences of global warming?

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Question 15

Studies reveal that during colder glacial periods,CO2 levels ____ during warmer interglacial periods.

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A)  were higher than 
B)  were lower than 
C)  were about the same as 
D)  were more variable than

Question 16

Which theory explains how glacial material can be observed today near sea level at the equator,even though sea level glaciers probably never existed there?

Accepted Answer

A)  Milankovitch theory 
B)  Theory of plate tectonics 
C)  Volcanic dust theory 
D)  Maunder theory

Question 17

Which of the following is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Oxygen 16 evaporates more readily from the ocean than oxygen 18. 
B)  Oxygen 16 and oxygen 18 are found in roughly equal amounts in ocean water. 
C)  The nucleus of oxygen 18 contains two more neutrons than the nucleus of oxygen 16. 
D)  Both oxygen 16 and oxygen 18 are found in the shells of marine organisms.

Question 18

What are meant by the terms positive and negative feedback mechanisms? Give an example of a process that would be considered a positive feedback mechanism during a period of warming on the earth.Can you think of a negative feedback mechanism?

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Question 19

Describe the role of clouds in climate change.

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Question 20

Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have been increasing steadily since the beginning of the industrial revolution and may double by the middle of the next century.Why is this of concern?

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Exam 16: Earths Changing Climate