Chapter 14
Recent evidence from polar ice core analysis shows that, until now, carbon dioxide levels have never exceeded ________ ppm in the last several hundred thousand years. A) 500 B) 1000 C) 25 D) 300 E) 200
300
2) A large area of the United States will see temperature rises of ________ °C. A) 6.5-7.5 B) 5.5-6.5 C) 4.5-5.5 D) 3.5-4.5 E) 1.5-2.5
4.5-5.5
________% of U.S. citizens live in coastal counties, thus vulnerable to rises in sea level. A) 95 B) 83 C) 53 D) 20 E) 10
53
The most recent analyses of polar ice cores have given us the ability to profile global climate change back as far as ________ years. A) 800,000 B) 100,000 C) 1000 D) 50,000 E) 300,000,000
800,000
Over ________% of the fuel you pump into your automobile does something other than move your vehicle down the road. A) 65 B) 55 C) 45 D) 25 E) 85
85
In the wake of the U.S. failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol ________. A) many nations have severed diplomatic relations with the U.S. B) cities and states are setting their own programs for reducing greenhouse gas emissions C) the U.S. has shown that it is a leader in carbon emission reduction without having signed the Protocol D) dozens of other nations pulled out of the Protocol E) oil exporting nations have refused to sell to the U.S.
B) cities and states are setting their own programs for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
The 2009 Copenhagen Conference ________. A) produced a multi-national treaty to limit carbon emissions B) created an international fund to promote climate research C) failed to produce a treaty because the US failed to support it and China refused international monitoring for promised steep cuts D) was unable to pass any resolution because 20 developed nations refused to accept the scientific premises of global climate change E) failed to provide any help to developing nations for mitigation and adaptation efforts
C) failed to produce a treaty because the US failed to support it and China refused international monitoring for promised steep cuts
Keeling's reports from Mauna Loa demonstrated ________. A) an increase in tropospheric CO2 from the 1950s to present B) that sediments deposited on the seafloor can yield clues about past climates C) that as distances from cities decreased, CO2 concentrations increased D) that CO2 levels have been stable over the last 40 years E) the presence of El Niño
an increase in tropospheric CO2 from the 1950s to present
Milankovitch cycles ________. A) refer to shifts in the temperature of surface water in the middle latitudes of the Pacific Ocean B) are changes in Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun that may trigger climate variation C) describe the timing of the northern lights in the thermosphere D) describe the transpiration, evaporation, and precipitation of Earth's water E) describe upwelling and downwelling in the ocean
are changes in Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun that may trigger climate variation
Which of the following are market mechanisms for addressing climate change? A) international treaties from global conferences B) carbon taxes and fee-and-dividend benefits C) cap-and-trade and carbon offsets D) mitigation and adaptation E) carbon neutrality and carbon aggression policies
cap-and-trade and carbon offsets
Predominant greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels
carbon dioxide
The Kyoto Protocol is to carbon dioxide as the Montreal Protocol is to ________. A) nitrous oxide B) ozone C) methane D) chlorofluorocarbons E) carbon monoxide
chlorofluorocarbons
The largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the United States is ________, followed by ________. A) agriculture; transportation B) electricity generation; agriculture C) electricity generation; industry D) electricity generation; transportation E) agriculture; electricity generation
electricity generation; transportation
The Free-Air-CO2-Enrichment (FACE) project ________. A) has been funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy for the next 50 years B) studies the long-term effects of rising CO2 levels on plants C) found that elevated ozone levels helps plants grow faster as CO2 levels increase D) has shown that insect and microbial attacks on plants decrease with elevated CO2 levels E) shows that plants will be able to remove all of the excess CO2 entering the atmosphere
found that elevated ozone levels helps plants grow faster as CO2 levels increase
Carbon-based fuels from lithospheric reservoirs ________. A) have been slowly sequestered over many millions of years B) are readily lost from Earth's surface in the absence of humans C) are formed from the deposition, partial decay, and compression of inorganic matter D) cannot be lost to the atmosphere by human processes once stabilized on Earth's surface E) will be lost before the end of the decade
have been slowly sequestered over many millions of years
Hydroelectric power generation ________. A) produces high quantities of greenhouse gases B) has no undesirable environmental effects C) produces pollutants that contribute significantly to acid precipitation D) uses fuel cells to generate electricity E) is an alternative to fossil fuels that produces fewer greenhouse gases
is an alternative to fossil fuels that produces fewer greenhouse gases
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ________. A) constructed the Kyoto Protocol B) performed the research included in the climate change findings C) is an international panel that reports on how climate change influences biomes and economies D) fines companies that pollute E) could not achieve its objectives because of lack of popular support
is an international panel that reports on how climate change influences biomes and economies
Earth's climate ________. A) has been stable over the history of the planet B) is changing as a result of natural and human processes C) will stabilize over the next century, according to the predictions of most scientists D) has changed only once due to the evolution of green photosynthesizing plants E) history is undeterminable because there is no method of studying climatic history of the planet
is changing as a result of natural and human processes
Recent research indicates that the variation in solar output ________. A) is the major factor driving temperature change B) is greater than all the anthropogenic factors affecting climate change C) is more than 20 watts/m2 D) is less than any of the anthropogenic factors affecting climate change E) will increase by a hundredfold over then next century
is less than any of the anthropogenic factors affecting climate change
The US Senate has so far opposed emissions reductions on the grounds that ________. A) no other nations have pledged reductions B) the US does not emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases C) President Obama rejected the scientific basis of global climate change D) it might hurt the economy E) the US already has reduced its emissions by 68% as agreed in the Copenhagen treaty.
it might hurt the economy
In legislation, the precautionary principle applied to climate change, states that ________. A) caution should be used in handling hazardous wastes B) lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used to postpone measures to prevent major environmental degradation C) alterations to legislation must be done in a way that maximizes environmental protection at the urging of scientists without recourse from the voting public D) all alternative sources of energy should be evaluated by the scientific community before marketing E) permit trading should be undertaken with caution
lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used to postpone measures to prevent major environmental degradation
Tuvalu and the Maldives are in the international spotlight because they ________. A) may be the first nations to be completely flooded by rising sea levels B) are accepting climate change refugees from other nations C) have exceeded the emissions reductions set by the Kyoto Protocol D) are the largest emissions producers in their respective areas E) opposed China's proposals for global carbon neutrality at the Copenhagen Conference in 2009
may be the first nations to be completely flooded by rising sea levels
Growing rice results in the release of ________ into the atmosphere. A) methane B) sulfur oxides C) ozone D) carbon dioxide E) sulfate aerosols
methane
Of the following greenhouse gases, ________ concentrations have increased the most since 1750. A) water vapor B) carbon dioxide C) nitrous oxide D) ozone E) methane
methane
Produced by microbes decomposing matter in landfills and as a metabolic byproduct of livestock.
methane
The atmosphere around Earth can cause global warming because ________. A) warm air cannot escape, as in a greenhouse B) molecules in the atmosphere are warmed by radiation from Earth and retain that heat C) fossil fuels release heat D) plants absorb CO2 E) plants release CO2
molecules in the atmosphere are warmed by radiation from Earth and retain that heat
By-product of feedlots, chemical manufacturing, and fertilizer use
nitrous oxide
3) The region of the planet that will see the smallest rises in temperature is ________. A) islands B) oceans C) Asia/Australia D) the Antarctic E) the Arctic
oceans
The use of public transportation is ________. A) higher in the United States compared to Europe B) increasing rapidly in the face of concerns over climate change C) subsidized by the U.S. government D) one of the best options for decreasing the use of fossil fuels for transportation E) more expensive than driving a car
one of the best options for decreasing the use of fossil fuels for transportation
Stratospheric greenhouse gas that absorbs the sun's incoming short‑wave radiation
ozone
Hydrogen fuel cells, biodiesel, and long-term electric batteries are potential solutions to ________. A) reducing carbon emissions from cars and trucks B) carbon sequestration C) cap-and-trade emission control D) replacing coal as a major fuel for generating electricity E) cutting back the carbon emissions from hydroelectric plants
reducing carbon emissions from cars and trucks
Compound that contributes to short-term atmospheric cooling
sulfate aerosol
1)According to the map, the area that will experience the greatest increase in temperatures is ________. A) the arctic and subarctic B) north temperate areas: Canada and Eurasia C) the tropics D) oceans E) desert areas
the arctic and subarctic
Carbon dioxide is ________. A) the most potent (per molecule of gas) of the greenhouse gases B) the most abundant greenhouse gas C) more potent (per molecule of gas) than methane D) the main anthropogenic greenhouse gas produced in the United States E) the only greenhouse gas presently increasing in the atmosphere
the main anthropogenic greenhouse gas produced in the United States
The greenhouse effect involves warming of Earth's surface and the ________. A) troposphere B) mesosphere C) stratosphere D) thermosphere E) ionosphere
troposphere
The Kyoto Protocol ________. A) increased federal funding for controlling greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants B) required equal concessions from all countries involved in greenhouse gas emission C) required increases in nuclear power generation D) would have resulted in overall increases in greenhouse emissions E) was intended to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels lower than those of 1990
was intended to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels lower than those of 1990
Most abundant greenhouse gas
water vapor