ch 19 quiz
NASA climate scientist James Hansen predicts we need to bring CO2 levels down to the level we had in 1990 in order to maintain a climate similar to what we have had over the last 10,000 years. What is that 1990 CO2 level?
350 ppm
climate scientists, how much of an increase in temperature will threaten human civilization as we know it?
4 degrees C
prevent CO2 levels from reaching an irreversible tipping point of _____ ppm, which could set into motion large-scale, long-term changes.
450 ppm
Without changing what we are doing to the environment, the projected amount of warming by the year 2100 is
5 degrees C
United States is responsible for 25% of the cumulative emissions of CO2. China is responsible for what percentage of the same emissions?
5%
If current rates of CO2 emissions continue, the CO2 level will be at what level by 2050?
560 ppm
atmosphere primarily?
78% nitrogen/ 21% oxygen
Major climate models predict all of the following, except
falling global sea levels
9. Changes in the energy output of the sun are responsible for the majority of the rise in earth's temperature.
false
By 2009, less than 5 U.S. states had set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions?-
false
It is possible to tell if the earth's climate is changing based on a few years, or a decade or two
false
Rising sea levels, increasing cloud cover, and air pollution will decrease climate change.
false
Scientists accept there is nothing we can do to change the coming climate disaster
false
Scientific debate over whether the warming of the ocean would or would not result in more frequent and stronger tropical storms and hurricanes, was settled by consensus. The consensus stated there would be
fewer and stronger
NASA Scientist James Hansen used the eruption of the volcano Mount Pinatubo to test his computer models about which of the following?
global climate change
One key component to a successful strategy to reduce the threat of projected climate disruption must be which of the following
global energy efficiency revolution
how make a photovoltaic cell?
refine silica, add other elements
40. California requested that the EPA allow it to set tough new standards for CO2 emissions. The response of EPA was to
refuse request
rise in sea level is least likely to
save coral reefs
1906 and 2005, mean global temperature had risen _____ degree(s) Centigrade.
.6-.8
top (3) greenhouse gases
1) carbon dioxide 2) methane 3) CFC
top (5) wind energy
1) germany 2) US 3) denmark 4) spain 5) china
future of energy (3)
1) reduce energy waste 2) renewable energy 3) include environmental costs in market prices
Greenland's glaciers contain what percentage of the world's freshwater?
10%
CFCs take _____ years to reach the stratosphere.
10-20
If all of the ozone-depleting substances were banned tomorrow, it would take about ____ years for earth to recover to pre-1950 levels
100 years
concentration of carbon dioxide in the troposphere at the start of the Industrial Revolution was approximately
280 ppm
The minimum period of time for measuring climate, rather than weather, is which of the following?
30 years
the beginning of the industrial revolution, the acidity of the ocean surface has increased by what percentage?
30%
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) techniques have all of the following problems, except
CCS requires stored CO2 to remain sealed away from the atmosphere forever
1987, 36 nations meeting in Montreal, Canada, developed the Montreal Protocol to reduce production of
CFC
Researchers Rowland and Molina, in 1974, came to all of the following conclusions about CFCs except
CFCs combine with water vapor and are responsible for acid rain
Following is a list of possible climate change tipping points, except for one. Choose the one that is not a tipping point.
amazon rainforest
of the following are examples of reducing carbon dioxide levels in the troposphere through carbon sequestration, except
bringing more cropland into production
which are greenhouse gases?
carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor
The greenhouse effect is best described as
consensus science
Which of the following is not a strategy for reducing the threat of climate change?
continue with current practices
There are six major methods governments can use to promote solutions to climate disruption, including all of the following, except
curb population growth
oceans absorb between 25-30% of the CO2 in the lower atmosphere. As the oceans heat up, this absorption
decreases
most serious threat from ozone depletion is that increased UV radiation
destroys phytoplankton
Which of the following companies has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 72% and saved $3 billion while increasing its business by almost a third?-
dupont
1% of the earth's lower atmosphere is composed of all the following greenhouse gases, except
hydrogen
2005 study indicates the area of the earth's land experiencing severe drought between 1979 and 2002, what %s?
increased form 15% to 30%
The effects of ozone depletion on humans includes all of the following, except
more brain cancers
warmer world is least likely to result in
more moderate weather
which of the following statements about the greenhouse effect is false?
new concept responsible for climate change
primary cause of a 20% increase in nitrous oxide emissions over the past 275 years.
nitrogen fertilizers
Increased rain in the north Atlantic, along with melting of land-based glaciers may alter the oceans by irreversibly disrupting
ocean current conveyor belts
Carbon capture and storage techniques have all of the following problems, except
operates on precautionary principle
taking carbon dioxide out of the air
photosynthesis
climate models predict that global warming will be most severe in which regions?
polar
expected as global warming causes drought to get worse that the growth of trees and plants will slow, reducing CO2 removal from the atmosphere and intensifying global warming. An effect such as this is called
positive feedback
Which of the following best describes the earth's average surface temperature for the past 900,000 years
prolonged periods of cooling and warming
overnments can use four of the following methods to promote solutions to the climate change crisis. Which of the following is not one of those methods?
shift production of electricity to developing countries
which renewable energy sources has the largest long term potential?
solar phototvoltaics
what kind of wind needed?
steady, strong, proximity of people
people believe the sun has become hotter and is responsible for global warming. Data about which of the following disputes that claim?
stratosphere cooler then troposphere
It has been suggested that the threat of global warming can be addressed by all of the following geoengineering strategies, except-
styrofoam
2-degree Celsius warming is apparently inevitable because we have waited too long to prevent it.
true
A 2007 study by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies predicts 45% of the world's land area could be experiencing extreme drought by 2059?
true
A layer of ozone in the lower stratosphere reduces the sun's harmful UV radiation by 95%?
true
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, is on record saying that climate change is the most important challenge we face
true
China and the United States together are the source of nearly half of the world's annual greenhouse gas emissions
true
Climate change affects the entire planet and will be long-term.
true
Environmental economists agree that the most critical goal is to put a price on carbon emissions to get all emitters to pay all of the estimated harmful environmental and health costs of their carbon emissions
true
Human use of renewable energy will lessen the effect of human activities on climate change
true
If Greenland's ice were to melt completely the global sea level would rise by 23 feet
true
Methane emissions over the past 275 years are the result of extracting fossil fuels, raising cattle and sheep, and constructing reservoirs behind large dams.
true
Methane locked in the permafrost soils of the tundra contains 50 to 60 times the amount of carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels each year
true
Nitrous oxide (N20) molecules have an approximate 300 times stronger warming potential than carbon dioxide molecules?
true
past 50 years, Arctic temperatures have risen almost twice as fast as average temperatures in the rest of the world.
true
we believe that rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are contributing to global warming, but do not know to what extent and with what impact.
true
The 1997 Kyoto Protocol went into effect in 2005 with only seven of the world's 194 nations not ratifying the agreement. Which of the following countries did not ratify it?
united states
During the past 275 years human activities have been responsible for 70% of methane emissions. Those activities included all of the following, except
use modern fertilizers