Chapter 14 HW Questions

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) 200 b) 25 c) 500 d) 1000 e) 300

What position did the United States take regarding the Kyoto Protocol?

a) The United States is the only industrialized nation to refuse to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. b) The United States took leadership with the Kyoto Protocol and is at the forefront of greenhouse gas emission reduction. c) The United States is participating in the resolutions set forth by the Kyoto Protocol but has refused to take leadership with the process. d) The United States took responsibility for its role in the production of greenhouse gas emissions and pledged to reduce emissions by 75% by the year 1998.

What happens as ocean waters warm?

a) The oceans absorb less CO2. b) The pH of the ocean increases. c) Tides become higher due to lighter oceans. d) Ocean currents slow down.

What is a system in which utilities and industries seek financial gain through competing to reduce emissions?

a) fee-and-dividend b) carbon capture c) cap-and-trade d) carbon tax

The Kyoto Protocol ________.

a) was intended to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels lower than those of 1990 b) increased federal funding for controlling greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants c) required equal concessions from all countries involved in greenhouse gas emission d) required increases in nuclear power generation e) would have resulted in overall increases in greenhouse emissions

What is the difference between weather and climate?

a. Weather occurs over hours and days, and climate occurs over seasons and years. b. Weather occurs in the northern hemisphere, while climate occurs in the southern hemisphere. c. Weather occurs over seasons and years, while climate occurs over hours and days. d. Weather and climate are used interchangeably.

What is the greenhouse effect?

a. a warming of Earth's atmosphere by greenhouse gases that trap reflected heat rather than allow it to escape into space b. a change in Earth's climate c. an increase in the concentration of atmospheric gases d. an increase in Earth's average surface temperature

Milankovitch cycles ________.

a. describe the timing of the northern lights in the thermosphere b. are changes in Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun that may trigger climate variation c.describe upwelling and downwelling in the ocean d. describe the transpiration, evaporation, and precipitation of Earth's water e. refer to shifts in the temperature of surface water in the middle latitudes of the Pacific Ocean

Which three factors have the greatest effect on Earth's climate?

a. the sun, the ocean, and the stars b. the sun, the moon, and the stars c. the sun, the stars, and the moon d. the sun, the atmosphere, and the ocean

Compared to Antarctica, the percent increase in temperature in the Arctic will be ________.

greater

The majority of the United States will see temperature rises of ________°C.

4.5-5.5

Which section of the United States will experience some significant impacts from global climate change that are NOT related to rising sea levels or the alteration of the world's oceans? What are those impacts?

Northwest--degrading forests

Passage... Why do environmentalists and scientists advocate immediate action, including stricter laws to limit power plant carbon dioxide emissions and subsidies for renewable energy?

These industries produce the most greenhouse gases.

The oceans hold ________ carbon than the atmosphere.

a) 5 times more b) 50 times more c) 10,000 times less d) 10,000 times more e) 1000 times less

The most recent analyses of polar ice cores have given us the ability to profile global climate change back as far as ________ years

a) 50,000 b) 100,000 c) 800,000 d) 1000 e) 300,000,000

What initiative or group is responsible for the most reviewed and widely accepted reports that we have on climate change?

a) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) b) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) c) Montreal Protocol d) International Test of Emissions (ITE)

Why are over one-sixth of the world's people at risk for running out of drinking water?

a) Glaciers in many areas are melting. b) The world's fresh water wells are drying up. c) There is not enough surface water. d) The oceans are drying up.

How are warming temperatures causing a vicious cycle (positive feedback) that is leading to enhanced warming?

a) Global warming increases the planet's albedo, leading to more global warming. b) Ice and snow reflect light, and as they melt, Earth absorbs more of the sun's rays. c) Ice and snow absorb light, and as they melt, Earth produces more carbon dioxide. d) Global warming decreases the planet's albedo, which releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

How is global warming most significantly affecting coral reefs and sea life?

a) Increased concentrations of carbon dioxide are being absorbed by the oceans. b) Ozone in the water is killing marine life. c) The amount of water in the ocean is increasing and causing coral reefs to wash onto shore. d) Global warming is heating the ocean's temperatures so that marine life is dying.

What are the periodic variations in Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun that alter the way solar radiation is distributed over Earth's surface?

a) Milankovitch cycles b) climate c) radiative forcing d) weather

The U.S. Senate has so far opposed emissions reductions on the grounds that ________.

a) President Obama rejected the scientific basis of global climate change b) the United States does not emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases c) it might hurt the economy d) no other nations have pledged reductions e) the United States already has reduced its emissions by 68% as agreed in the Copenhagen treaty

Which of the following statements about the sun's energy is true?

a) The only process on Earth that requires the sun's energy is photosynthesis. b) Thirty percent of the sun's energy is reflected off Earth and back into space. c) One hundred percent of the sun's energy is absorbed by Earth. d) The sun supplies 1/3 of the energy needed for Earth's processes.

Which of the following contributes to atmospheric cooling?

a) aerosols (particularly sulfur compounds) and dusts b) carbon dioxide from automobiles c) methane from domestic livestock and swamps d) chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

The largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the United States is ________, followed by ________.

a) agriculture; transportation b) agriculture; electricity generation c) electricity generation; agriculture d) electricity generation; transportation e) electricity generation; industry

Carbon-based fuels from lithospheric reservoirs ________.

a) are formed from the deposition, partial decay, and compression of inorganic matter b) have been slowly sequestered over many millions of years c) cannot be lost to the atmosphere by human processes once stabilized on Earth's surface d) are readily lost from Earth's surface in the absence of humans e) will be lost before the end of the decade

Which of the following is an example of mitigation rather than adaptation for global climate change?

a) building and maintaining preserves in endangered habitats to make sure they do not disappear b) building a sea wall in the Maldives to prevent flooding c) building more solar panels to generate electricity instead of more coal-fired power plants d) digging deep wells to get access to more water for agriculture if rainfall in an area should drop off

Growing rice results in the release of ________ into the atmosphere.

a) carbon dioxide b) ozone c) methane d) sulfur oxides e) sulfate aerosols

What is a situation in which NO net carbon is emitted?

a) carbon offsets b) carbon-neutrality c) carbon tax d)carbon copy

Hydrogen fuel cells, biodiesel, and long-term electric batteries are potential solutions to ________.

a) carbon sequestration b) cutting back the carbon emissions from hydroelectric plants c) cap-and-trade emission control d) replacing coal as a major fuel for generating electricity e) reducing carbon emissions from cars and trucks

In legislation, the precautionary principle applied to climate change states that ________.

a) caution should be used in handling hazardous wastes b) alterations to legislation must be done in a way that maximizes environmental protection at the urging of scientists without recourse from the voting public c) all alternative sources of energy should be evaluated by the scientific community before marketing d) lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used to postpone measures to prevent major environmental degradation e) permit trading should be undertaken with caution

What two processes emit the most carbon in the United States?

a) electricity generation and mass production b) mass production and transportation c) transportation and agriculture d) electricity generation and transportation

Scientists evaluate concentrations of gases and other atmospheric constituents from the distant past by examining which of the following?

a) gas bubbles trapped in soil b) gas bubbles trapped in rock c) gas bubbles trapped in the oceans d) gas bubbles trapped in ice

The Kyoto Protocol was initiated as a response to what sorts of emissions?

a) greenhouse gases b) CFCs c) water vapor d) ozone

Hydroelectric power generation ________

a) has no undesirable environmental effects b) is an alternative to fossil fuels that produces fewer greenhouse gases c) produces high quantities of greenhouse gases d) produces pollutants that contribute significantly to acid precipitation e) uses fuel cells to generate electricity

Keeling began measuring tropospheric carbon dioxide concentrations at Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii in 1958. This is a remote location away from urban and industrial areas. If Keeling had instead established his CO2 monitoring station near a large coal-fired power plant then ________.

a) his measurements of CO2 levels would likely be much higher than in a place like Mauna Loa b) his measurements would be influenced by the amount of soot produced by the power plant c) his measurements of CO2 levels would likely be about the same as a place like Mauna Loa d) his measurements of CO2 levels would likely be much lower than a place like Mauna Loa e) the heat given off by the power plant would give him higher than expected readings

What are sophisticated computer programs that allow scientists to understand how climate systems function and to make predictions for the future?

a) ice cores b) climate models c) sediment cores d) proxy indicators

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ________.

a) is an international panel that reports on how climate change influences biomes and economies b) performed the research included in the climate change findings c) fines companies that pollute d) constructed the Kyoto Protocol e) could not achieve its objectives because of lack of popular support

What is the planet's albedo?

a) its ability to produce carbon dioxide b) its ability to absorb light c) its ability to reflect light d) its ability to product stratospheric ozone

Of the following, ________ are market mechanisms for addressing climate change.

a) mitigation and adaptation b) carbon taxes and fee-and-dividend benefits c) international treaties from global conferences d) carbon neutrality and carbon aggression policies e) cap-and-trade and carbon offsets

Which of the following is an example of mitigation?

a) moving inland as sea levels rise b) developing new strategies for predicting c) changing weather patterns d) wearing cooler clothing e) making legislation to reduce our use of fossil fuels

Which greenhouse gas is produced by the raising of cattle?

a) nitrogen oxides b) methane c) propane d) halocarbon and fluorocarbon gases

Which type of indirect evidence can substitute for direct measurements of past climate change?

a) observations b) proxy indicators c) litigations d) conclusions

The use of public transportation is ________.

a) one of the best options for decreasing the use of fossil fuels for transportation b) subsidized by the U.S. government c) more expensive than driving a car d) increasing rapidly in the face of concerns over climate change e) higher in the United States compared to Europe

All of the following will likely be impacts of global climate change on sea levels except ________.

a) salt water intrusion into aquifers b) receding coastlines c) greater storm surges d) increasing beach erosion e) coastal flooding

The predominant greenhouse gas produced by human use of fossil fuels is __________.

a) sulfate aerosols b) nitrous oxide, N2O c) methane d) carbon dioxide

Keeling's reports from Mauna Loa demonstrated ________.

a) that sediments deposited on the seafloor can yield clues about past climates b) an increase in tropospheric CO2 from the 1950s to present c) the presence of El Niño d) that as distances from cities decreased, CO2 concentrations increased e) that CO2 levels have been stable over the last 40 years

Carbon dioxide is ________.

a) the most potent (per molecule of gas) of the greenhouse gases b) more potent (per molecule of gas) than methane c) the main anthropogenic greenhouse gas produced in the United States d) the only greenhouse gas presently increasing in the atmosphere e) the most abundant greenhouse gas

Which lifestyle choice would cause the greatest reduction in greenhouse emissions?

a) using public transportation b) driving a hybrid car c) driving an electric car (plugged into the grid at night to be recharged) d) riding a bike

Soot particles ("black carbon aerosols") generally cause ________ of Earth's atmosphere by ________ solar energy.

a) warming; absorbing b) warming; reflecting c) cooling; radiating d) cooling; reflecting e) cooling; absorbing

Earth's climate ________.

a. has changed only once due to the evolution of green photosynthesizing plants b. history is undeterminable because there is no method of studying climatic history of the planet c. has been stable over the history of the planet d. will stabilize over the next century, according to the predictions of most scientists e. is changing as a result of natural and human processes

The atmosphere around Earth can cause global warming because ________.

a. molecules in the atmosphere are warmed by radiation from Earth and retain that heat b. warm air cannot escape, as in a greenhouse c. plants absorb CO2 d. fossil fuels release heat e. plants release CO2

Which greenhouse gas has a global warming potential that is approximately three times that of methane?

a. nitrous oxide b. carbon dioxide c. hydrochlorofluorocarbon HFC-23 d. None of the listed responses is correct.

The greenhouse effect involves warming of Earth's surface and the ________.

a. stratosphere b. troposphere c. ionosphere d. mesosphere e. thermosphere

Which of the following have the ability to absorb energy from Earth's surface and then emit infrared radiation in all directions?

a. the oceans b. greenhouse gases c. the mountains d. the sun

The region of the planet that will see the smallest rises in temperature is ________.

oceans

Passage... One factor contributing to U.S. resistance to legal intervention regarding global climate change is ________.

political influence of the petroleum, coal and automobile industries

Passage... The Clear Skies Initiative may have helped somewhat with the problem of global climate change because it would have ________.

required reduced nitrogen oxide emissions

According to the map, the area that will experience the greatest increase in temperatures is ________.

the Arctic and subarctic

Passage..... The United States should enact laws slowing global climate change because ________.

the United States is a major producer of greenhouse gases

Passage... Environmentalists advocate immediate intervention regarding global climate change because ________.

they favor the precautionary principle