AMS Chapter 8
Carbon stores in the ocean account for what percentage of carbon emitted by human activity since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution?
4) 28%
In which of the following decades was warming greater than the previous decade?
4) All of the above are correct
Which of the following locations are responsible for calculating the monthly average surface temperature for the global record?
4) All of the above are correct.
With regards to climate change and geography, what important lesson can be learned from investigating the climate record?
4) Both a and b are correct
What was the possible impact of the Maunder minimum on Earth?
4) Less hours of daylight
About how many ships are involved in the voluntary observing ship program?
4000
By the end of the present century, what is the projection for CO2 concentration?
550 ppm
How is an epoch delineated?
changes in rock type
According to climate models, what percent change in solar output could cause climate change?
1) 1%
Who is credited with being the first to study sunspots?
1) Galileo
The Maunder minimum denotes a period of _____ sunspots.
1) fewer
Why have skeptics dismissed the correlation between Maunder minimum and cooler climate?
1) it was not global in extent
What is the current month of perihelion? 4) October
1) january
Where are the levels of Carbon 14 measured?
1) tree rings
Using the "hockey stick" model, for about how long was the downward trend in temperature (i.e. the handle)?
1000 years
For about how long have systematic temperature and precipitation observations been made in the U.S.?
140 years
According to Figure 8.5, NCDC data indicate that the ______ was the last decade during which mean annual global (surface plus land) surface temperatures were below the 1901-2000 average.
1970's
As of 2013, 9 of the 10 warmest years on record were during the 21st century. Only one 20th century year, _____, was among the 10 warmest.
2) 1998
Which isotope is a proxy for solar activity?
2) Carbon 14
Which of the following is an example of how technology has improved our measurement of climate data?
2) Electronic sensors have been replaced with thermometers
What impact does the change in the Sun's output have on climate?
2) Surface temperature would be more than it is now
How is Carbon 14 deposited?
2) photosynthesis
Due to precession, what will happen to the dates of perihelion and aphelion?
2) they will be reversed
How long is one Earth axial precession as embodied in the Milankovitch cycles?
23,000 years
According to generally accepted stellar models, stars like the Sun get brighter as they move through their life cycle. Relative to today, about 4 billion years ago how much energy was the Sun's output?
3) 70%
What can be said about change in extreme events as climate changes?
3) Both a and b are correct.
What is the current month of aphelion?
3) july
The most significant radiative forcing acting to warm Earth's climate is ____________.
Carbon dioxide
Which famous scientist is co-credited as the first to explain the Faint Young Sun Paradox?
Carl Sagan
Who were the first to observe Sunspots?
Chinese Astronomers
Which of the following time periods of reduced sunspot activity included the year without a summer (1816)?
Dalton minimum
One way to begin understanding the many possible causes of climate change is to match a forcing agent with ______.
a specific climactic response
Climate changes generally tend to be more _________ than the reverse.
abrupt
Which of the following about human activities is true?
all of the above
Which of the following cloud properties is affected by aerosols?
all of the above
Which of the following about sulfurous aerosols is true?
all of the above are correct
Which of the following are orbital parameters?
all of the above are correct
Which of the following are sources of methane?
all of the above are correct
Which of the following is true about the melting of Arctic sea ice?
all of the above are correct
Positive feedbacks act to __________ initial changes in a climate process.
amplify
Which of the following do flood basalts release, thus contributing to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
both a and b are correct
The Milankovitch cycles alter which of the following?
distribution of radiation
Climate variability and change _________ affect all areas uniformly in trend and magnitude.
do not
How many times more than the pre-industrial level is CO2 concentrations expected to change to this century?
double
The long-term climate record shows ____________ cyclical variations related to climate forcing.
few
Methane hydrate deposits __________ been suspected of causing major changes in Earth's past climate system.
have
The Milankovitch cycles ___________ been corroborated by deep-sea cores.
have
A graph of the instrumental record of temperature over the past 1000 years has the appearance of a __________.
hockey stick
Loss of high latitude permafrost affects the climate system primarily due to ________________
increased river runoff
What is positive feedback?
initial change enhances change in climate
What is negative feedback?
initial change stabilizes change in climate
The Sun's total irradiance _____.
is not constant
When did atmospheric CO2 concentration exceed 400 ppm for the first time?
may 2013
Which of the following relationships is true?
more sunspots man more solar irradiance
What will be the result of perihelion and aphelion changing?
none of the above
Sunspots are found in which part of the Sun?
photosphere
The ice-albedo feedback is an example of a ___________ feedback.
positive
Volcanic activity producing ____________ can lead to cooling of Earth over a several year period.
sulfer dioxide and ash
What is a major reservoir for carbon?
the ocean
Earth's early atmosphere likely contained _____. Question 44 options:
very little, if any, free oxygen
Prior to the mid-1940s, how were sea-surface temperatures (SST) primarily measured?
with a bucket