Oceanography Chapter 16 Homework

As the ocean's surface is warmed, evaporation to the atmosphere increases. The addition of moisture to the atmosphere results in ______.

Both positive and negative temperature feedback loops.

There is a significant positive correlation between sunspot activity and recent changes in mean global temperature.

False

Recent worldwide sea level rise can be contributed to all of the following except:

geological uplifting of ocean basins

How long is the most important eccentricity cycle for earth's orbit?

100,000 years

How long is the cycle of precession for earth's orbit?

26,000 years

Satellite data show that the rate of global sea level rise since 1993 is an average about:

3 milimeters/year

How much of the sun's incoming radiation is scattered or reflected back to space before any heating effect is felt on earth?

31%

Since 1750, the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has increased by more than:

40%

How long is the cycle of obliquity for earth's orbit?

41,000 years

What has analysis of ice cores revealed about atmospheric greenhouse gas levels during the historic period?

A sudden rise in greenhouse gases levels coincides with the start of the industrial revolution

Sea surface temperatures have remained unchanged during the past 50 years.

False

An international agreement to voluntarily limit greenhouse gas emissions is called the:

Kyoto Protocol

Periodic variations in earth's orbit that can cause natural climate changes are called _______.

Milankovitch Cycle

How do the ocean's contribute to maintaining a climate that is habitable for humans?

Oceans absorb large quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

Arctic sea ice reached a historic minimum in 2012 that was approximately ______ the size of the long-term average recorded during 1979-2000.

One-half

Using proxy data, scientists have compiled a detailed record of earth's climate over the recent geologic past. This science is called _____.

Paleoclimatology

Which set of statements is correct?

The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon. Human activity has increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the past 250 years.

What is eccentricity in earth's orbit?

The shape of earth's orbit.

Carbon dioxide has the greatest relative contribution to increasing the greenhouse effect compared to other anthropogenically produced greenhouse gases.

True

Changes in earth's orbit can impact climate by increasing or decreasing solar input.

True

Dissolved carbon dioxide and pH in the oceans are inversely related?

True

Earth has a natural greenhouse effect, principally due to water vapor.

True

Which three gases are most important on Earth for inhibiting the release of long-wave radiation back into space?

Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane

A reduction in the strength of the Gulf Stream and a decrease in North Atlantic deep water formation would most likely result in:

a cooling of the climate in northern Europe

Which of the following is not a consequence of global warming?

all of the above are consequences of global warming

Variations in earth's orbit that influence long-term climate changes include:

all of the above are correct

The scientific consensus is that global warming has led to ______.

an increase in oxygen-depleted dead zones

What would happen to earth's atmospheric temperature if the amount of incoming shortwave radiation from the sun decreased and was less than the long wave radiation lost to space?

atmospheric temperature would decrease

What would happen to earth's atmospheric temperature if the amount of outgoing long wave radiation decreased so that it was less than incoming shortwave radiation from the sun?

atmospheric temperature would increase

What is precession?

change in the orientation of earth's axis

How might global warming affect cities that rely on glacial runoff for their water supply?

cities may face long-term water shortages as the amount of water generated by glacial melt will decline as glaciers shrink

Which of the following could be the direct result of the cycles of eccentricity, obliquity, and precession on earth?

climate change

The fourth IPCC report of 2007 concluded that _____.

climate change models can mimic present day conditions only is human emissions are taken into account

The minimum area of Arctic sea ice cover has been _____ as air and water temperature have been _____ over the past several decades.

decreasing; increasing

Arctic sea ice naturally ______ during the dark, cold winter and ______ during the spring and summer.

expands; contracts

Climate models and observations to date indicate that the oceans will warm the most in _____.

high latitude areas

The greenhouse effect occurs when gas molecules absorb _____ radiation.

infrared

What evidence is there that the O'Higgins Glacier is being affected by global warming?

it has retreated nine miles in the past 100 years because of melting

As sea ice melts and becomes liquid water, ____ heat is then absorbed from the sun, creating warmer surface waters.

more

In general, which two factors determine the overall temperature of Earth's atmosphere?

radiation coming into and radiation going out of earth's atmosphere

What impact will increased carbon dioxide absorption by the oceans have on coral reefs?

reefs will degrade over time, ultimately resulting in large-scale mortality

Only some shortwave radiation from the sun reaches earth's surface. What is the leading cause of this radiation loss?

reflection by clouds

What impact would rising sea levels have on human migration?

rising sea levels would cause enormous migration as people move inland away from affected areas

The ocean's "Biological Pump" _____

takes carbon from the photic zone and stores it in deep ocean water and sea floor sediments

What is obliquity in earth's surface?

the inclination of earth's axis

How will increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels affect oceans?

the oceans will become more acidic

Why are scientists doing research in an underwater lab in the Great Barrier Reef?

to replicate future carbon dioxide levels and measure the changes in coral reef productivity, morality, and health

Studying carbon dioxide trapped in glacial ice can be used to determine earth's ancient climate?

true

Volcanic eruptions have no impact on global climate patterns; they only affect local climate.

False

Domestic cattle production and rice agriculture release relatively large amounts of which has into the atmosphere?

Methane

Feedback loops are the interactions among the earth's five spheres that either amplify or diminish changes in climate.

True

Melting ice on land and thermal expansion of water are two of the most important factors causing sea level rise

True

The concentrations of methane (natural gas) exhibits the greatest current rate of increase compared to other greenhouse gases.

True

The earth's climate system involves the exchange of heat and water among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere, and cyrosphere.

True

The world's ocean play a role in reducing global warming by:

absorbing surplus heat energy

How is energy transferred from earth's surface to earth's atmosphere?

through the greenhouse effect; through convection; through latent heat in water vapor; through conduction

In general what is the difference between the energy that comes into earth from the sun and the energy that earth emits back to space?

wavelength

How much of the sun's incoming radiation is absorbed by earth's surface?

45%

What is the primary cause of the nearly 20% increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels since the 1960s?

Burning of fossil fuels

Climate is the short-term, day-to-day variations in the condition of the atmosphere such as temperature, precipitation, and wind.

False

Elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, with subsequent absorption by the oceans, have caused an increase in ocean pH.

False

Global warming is ______.

The warming of Earth's atmosphere caused by the production of greenhouse gases due to human activity.

The fourth IPCC report on international climate change (2007) confirmed that human activity has produced climate change beginning in the mid-20th century.

True

The oceans would have absorbed the majority of the increased heat in the atmosphere.

True

What is causing a decline in Antarctica's chinstrap penguins?

Populations of the penguins major food source are declining because of melting sea ice