GPH Final Exam
Which of the following does not represent an energy transfer process?
All options represent energy transfer processes (radiation, conduction, convection)
The scientific community is involved in an ongoing debate that is considering whether the Holocene epoch has ended and given rise to which of the following epochs
Anthropocene
The acronym AMOC stands for
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation
Years of Living Dangerously is a documentary that chronicles the onset of multiple (three, to be precise) conflicts rooted in climate change. Which of the following is NOT one of the conflicts documented in the initial episode?
Drought in California
In the Koeppen climate classification system, the letter "B" is a representation for which of the following types of climate?
Dry
[T or F] Currently, although several cities have plans to deploy them, there are no green roofs across major metro/megapolitan areas in the United States.
False
[T or F] ET climates may have certain types of vegetation. The vegetation associated with ET climates is deep-rooted (i.e., has deep roots).
False
[T or F] If boundary conditions do not change, then climate statistics will not change.
False
[T or F] If someone asked you to describe the atmospheric conditions in Tempe right at the time that you were speaking with them, you would be characterizing the climate in Tempe.
False
[T or F] Let's assume a major Nor'Easter devastates the eastern seaboard with high winds, beach erosion, and high snowfall amounts. Let's further assume that the scientific method has shown that anthropogenic influence on the climate is significant. In thinking about this event, we can draw the following conclusion: This event was absolutely the result of anthropogenic climate change.
False
[T or F] The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change conducts independent research at about 5 year intervals to determine the relative contribution of human-induced climate change.
False
[T or F] The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is a reference to a cold period, some 50 million years ago, that was highlighted by global temperatures decreasing by more than 5°C (9°F). The result of this cooling was due to massive releases of carbon dioxide and methane from multiple sources.
False
[T or F] The amount of warming predicted by climate models in the twenty-first century is the same across the Earth.
False
[T or F] The evidence is clear that precipitation, globally averaged, has increased considerably during the last three decades
False
External factors (e.g., solar constant) are known as _____:
Forcing agents
For most of the Earth's history, our planet has been largely _______________.
Free of permanent ice
Thornthwaite's classification system is an improvement over Koeppen's climate classification system because:
It is more physically based
The surface energy budgets of the urban areas will differ relative to rural/undeveloped surroundings because of differences in _____________________ and ___________________
Land cover and surface characteristics; level of human activity
The surface energy budgets of urban areas will differ relative to rural/undeveloped surroundings because of differences in __________________ and __________________.
Land cover and surface characteristics; level of human activity
Wavelengths greater than 4µm are referred to as __________ .
Longwave radiation
According to the Koeppen Classification System, Seattle falls within with of the following climate designations?
Marine west coast
Annual precipitation accumulation can be among the highest in the world for these climates: __________.
Monsoonal (Am)
The Koeppen climate classification system is based on ______________ as an indicator of average temperature and precipitation
Natural vegetation
The surface energy balance equation (see below for equation) has several components. What does "S(1-α)" refer to? S[down](1-α) + L[down] - L[up] + SH + LH + G = 0
Net shortwave radiation
The most abundant gas in the atmosphere is ______
Nitrogen
__________ are an indispensable tool for studying ocean circulation and climate
Numerical models
The 41,000 year cycle that describes the axial tilt of the planet is known as ________.
Obliquity
According to recent modeling calculations, which of the following best represents the primary term in the Earth's energy budget?
Ocean temperatures
Which of the following is not utilized to investigate paleoclimates?
Oceanic deposits, ice cores, remnant landforms
Which of the following is not an example of a permanent gas?
Ozone
Deeply rooted plant systems are not widespread over tundra regions because of __________.
Permafrost
(Atmospheric) CO2 is removed through ___________, the process whereby plants convert light energy to chemical energy.
Photosynthesis
[T or F] A key difference between the usage of tree rings and coral reefs as proxy indicators of climate is that tree rings utilize the width of concentric circles and corals require chemical analysis.
True
[T or F] Importantly, there is a generally adopted conclusion based on this and other findings, which agree that the AMOC is in a relatively weak state
True
[T or F] The changing number of observing stations over time is one of the key concerns associated with determination of temperature variability change.
True
[T or F] The width of a tree ring depends upon the temperature and precipitation characteristics prevalent during the year the ring was produced.
True
[T or F] There are many (i.e., more than 1) dimensions to climate change beyond global temperature increases.
True
For the following question, recall the principal geographic areas that were the main focus of Episode 1 of Years of Living Dangerously. The main geographic areas were __________.
US and Indonesia
In addition to the peak of ozone (O3) naturally found in the stratosphere, significant concentrations of O3 may also be found in __________.
Urban areas
Which of the following are factors involved in climatic change?
Variations in solar output, changes in Earth's orbit, movement of continental plates
Milankovitch cycles include all of the following, except:
changes in the distance between the earth and the Moon
The VIS portion of the electromagnetic spectrum consists of wavelengths between:
0.4 - 0.7 [microns]
What is the approximate wavelength of the sun's maximum radiative emission?
0.5 microns
There are two types of Polar Climates: ET and EF. ET climates (i.e., tundra) have at least one month with an average temperature above__________:
0°C
Which of the following Sky View Factors (SVFs), all else being equal, would be expected to trap, or retain (near the surface), the largest amount of long wave radiation emitted by the surface?
10%
Of the past 2.5 billion years, what % have been ice ages?
10-20%
At what wavelength do scientists distinguish shortwave from longwave radiation?
4 microns
Which of the following best expresses "climate modeling"?
A set of rules, based on established physical principles that are represented as computer code
Although the density of the atmosphere decreases rapidly with height, the top of the atmosphere:
Is undefined
Vertical zonation refers to a change in climatic conditions because of:
Changes in height
______ refers to the long-term study of atmospheric processes.
Climatology
Climatologists have developed a precise, physical justification for the definition of climate as a 30-year period.
False
Currently, although several cities have plans to deploy them, there are no green roofs across major metro/megapolitan areas in the United States.
False
Evaluating the impact of anthropogenic climate change by focusing exclusively on emissions of long-lived greenhouse gases is the most precise method scientists can utilize to ascertain the total impact of humans on the climate system
False
Evaluating the impact of anthropogenic climate change by focusing exclusively on emissions of long-lived greenhouse gases is the most precise method scientists can utilize to ascertain the total impact of humans on the climate system.
False
T or F] An increase in a surface covered with ice is expected to lead to a decrease in albedo.
False
Which of the following best represents the method whereby scientists evaluate output from climate models (Global or regional)?
Hindcasting
Changing climatic conditions aiding the empire of Genghis Khan of Mongolia, led to increased:
Horsepower
All climate models (Global, Regional, etc.) require __________.
Initial conditions
Feedback processes within the climate system are the result of _____:
Intrinsic variability of the system
Koeppen climate classification for Alaska
Polar, E
To examine mid 13th century changes (associated with the westward expansion of the empire of Genghis Khan) in climate, scientists utilized:
Proxy data
What is the term used to describe geologic/biologic indicators that reveal important information about past climates, prior to the advent of modern day instruments such as thermometers?
Proxy indicators
Which of the following forms of energy transfer does not require a physical medium?
Radiation
Which of the following is not a widely accepted method for determining past climate(s)?
Radiohydrology gauging
Wavelengths less than 4µm are referred to as __________ .
Shortwave radiation
Which of the following human activities does not result in anthropogenic heating?
Shortwave radiation
Which of the following materials has the highest albedo?
Snow
In the United States, how far south did the last major glaciation reach to?
St. Louis
Which of the following statements is true about historical climate change (dating back hundreds of thousands of years before present)?
Temperatures have increased, and increased greenhouse gas concentrations have followed and amplified the initial temperature perturbation
The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) is:
The climatological library and research center for the U.S.
According to the most recent IPCC assessment, the following is true:
The community remains uncertain whether global temperature variability is increasing (i.e., "we don't know").
The time scale of climate change:
is difficult to pin down for a wide variety of reasons
The principal idea behind usage of cool roofs is:
To reflect a greater fraction of incoming sunlight and lower urban temperatures.
The scientific community ____________________:
Touts benefits of various approaches but concludes that disagreement about what is best continues
In the Koeppen climate classification system, the letter "A" is a representation for which of the following types of climate?
Tropical
A minimal annual temperature variability is associated with what type of (Koeppen) Climate classification?
Tropical wet
The name for the boundary separating the troposphere and stratosphere is:
Tropopause
The majority of our atmosphere is contained within the:
Troposphere
The representation of climate models in the 1970's was so basic that rain was simulated to occur without representation of clouds.
True
Which of the following is not an example of a permanent gas?
Water
In a paper in Nature this week, scientists present palaeo-oceanographic evidence that deep convection of surface waters in the North Atlantic — the engine that keeps the AMOC in constant motion — began to __________ as early as around 1850
decline
The primary process responsible for the __________ in the AMOC is probably owing to increased __________ from Arctic ice that had melted at the end of a relatively cold period called the Little Ice Age
decline; freshwater influx
The primary effect of the AMOC is to
influence the exchange of heat between the tropics and high latitudes
During the last century, the magnitude of warming over our Earth has been spatially variable. Warming has been greater over _________ compared to __________.
land, oceans
There are three of orbital variations that can be accurately reconstructed back through time and form the basis of Milankovitch Theory (or as they are referred to in the climate sense, as Milankovitch Cycles). These three orbital variations are _______, _______, and _______.
obliquity; eccentricity; precession
Increased ice cover has some consequences for albedo, which has further amplifying impacts on ice cover thereby magnifying the initial perturbation. This is an example of:
positive feedback
The most widely measured atmospheric parameters are:
temperature and precipitation
A period of minimal sunspot activity between about 1645 and 1715 is known as
the Maunder Minimum
[T or F] Sea ice extent has been monitored with relatively high accuracy since:
the late 1970's
The order of the thermal layers of Earth's atmosphere from bottom (surface) to top is ______.
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere
[T or F] There exists a wide margin of disagreement between (the pair of manuscripts discussed in the editorial) independent studies whose objectives are focused on determining when the AMOC circulation started to weaken
true
