Global Warming MC Questions
the peer review process: Select one: a. ensures that bad science is never published b. determines how much each scientific article published is worth and pays the scientists this amount c. is used by climate skeptics just as it is used by climate scientists d. generally ensures that what is published is based on a sound methodology, is not duplicating what has already been done, and that all data are made available to other scientists and the public e. is only used in the social sciences
answer: d
Acid rain is principally caused by Select one: a. sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from coal burning power plants b. carbon monoxide emissions from vehicle tail pipes c. methane (CH4) emissions from swamps d. forest fires in the desert e. all of the above Feedback
answer:a
Drunken trees occur where Select one: a. taliks form b. methane is released and trees absorb this gas c. permafrost is more than 100 feet thick d. on top of ice wedges e. in dying forests
answer:a
The phenomenon of animals changing their activity in response to changing environmental conditions is called Select one: a. phenotypic plasticity b. punctuated equilibrium c. environmental determinism d. thermokarst e. delayed environmental onset
answer:a
Climate change is an especially difficult and contentious problem because Select one: a. some countries will benefit and some countries will suffer from it b. poorer countries are least able to respond to the threats of climate change c. it involves the burning of fossil fuels, which underpin 80% of global energy production d. wealthy countries are responsible for the bulk of the problem e. the Middle East holds most of the worlds petroleum reserves
answer:c
Positive claims are: Select one: a. always easily verified and tested by science b. refer to concepts that always benefit the planet c. are always about events, concepts, phenomenon that we know d. are widely accepted e. always involve science
answer:c
Evidence of global climate change includes all of the following EXCEPT: Select one: a. melting sea ice b. retreating glaciers c. acidification of the oceans d. an increase in the diurnal temperature range e. early bloom dates for plants
answer:d
Uncertainty about projections of future climate change: Select one: a. mean that the likely global response will be less than that projected b. mean that the likely global response will be more than that projected c. should invalidate any concern over future climate change d. mean that the true global response is as likely to be greater than that projected as it is to be less than that projected e. is insignificant
answer:d
thermohaline circulation Select one: a. moves heat from the poles to the tropics b. is driven by melting sea ice c. is driven by the increase in sea water salt content from the formation of sea ice d. will increase as the Greenland ice sheet melts e. has remained constant over geologic time
Answer C
Water heated to 100°C will stop increasing in temperature for a time even as additional energy is applied. Why? Select one: a. A significant amount of energy is required to affect the state change of water from liquid to vapor. b. Boiling water dampens the source of heat. c. Energy sources are always cyclical in nature. d. Excess energy warms the air rather than the water. e. All of the answers are correct.
Answer: A
All of the following contribute to deep water formation EXCEPT A Cooling of sea water B Formation of sea ice C Increase in sea water salinity D Melting of polar ice caps and addition of fresh water
Answer: C
In which of the following cases would the atmosphere tend to be destabilized? Select one: a. Air at low levels is cold with little water vapor. b. Air near the surface is very dense. c. Little solar energy is being absorbed by the ground surface. d. The lower atmosphere is warm with a high water vapor content. e. All of the answers are correct.
Answer: D
Latitudes near the equator experience much larger seasonal changes in solar radiation than mid- and high-latitudes. Select one: True False
Answer: False
The greenhouse effect of Earth's atmosphere is responsible for raising the temperature of Earth's surface by about 5°C above what it would be in the absence of an atmosphere. Select one: True False
Answer: False
Deep ocean waters tend to be colder and saltier than waters at the surface. Select one: True False
Answer: True
Where on Earth experiences the largest seasonal temperature range? Select one: a. Africa b. Asia c. Australia d. Indian Ocean e. South America
Answer: b
If Earth's axis had no tilt,: Select one: a. seasonal change in solar energy at Earth's surface would be maximized. b. solstices and equinoxes would be well-defined. c. the overhead Sun would always be at the equator. d. the poles would alternate between day-long darkness and day-long sunlight over the course of the year. e. None of the answers is correct.
Answer: c
The Keeling curve: Select one: a. documents global temperature change over the last 10,000 years b. documents the release of methane from melting permafrost c. documents the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide over the last 60 years d. projects global temperatures to the end of this century e. documents the retreat of glaciers in Glacier National Park, Montana
Answer: c
Which of the following statements about monsoonal circulations is correct? Select one: a. High pressure over continental surfaces leads to heavy precipitation on land. b. Monsoons are caused by tropical storms embedded in the Hadley cells. c. Summer monsoons tend to produce precipitation on continental surfaces. d. The strongest monsoon circulations occur where there are little seasonal differences in the surface heating of the land and ocean. e. None of the answers is correct.
Answer: c
All of the following are true about the The Charney Panel EXCEPT: Select one: a. It was created in 1979 by President Carter and the US National Academy of Sciences b. it confirmed the very first Climate Models that predicted the Earth's temperature increase under a doubling of atmospheric CO2 c. it warned that waiting until there is unequivocal evidence for warming is a risky strategy d. it considered the role of atmospheric methane in addition to carbon dioxide e. it was named after Jule Charney of MIT
Answer: d
the difference between the terms climate and weather are: Select one: a. weather is seasonal; climate is annual b. climate is monthly; weather is daily c. weather is average climate d. climate is average weather e. there is no difference between the two terms
Answer: d
What percentage of the Earth's land surface is covered by the two existing ice sheets on Antarctica and Greenland? Select one: a. 0.11% b. 0.3% c. 1.3% d. 3% e. 11%
Answer: e
Which of the following statements about subtropical ocean gyres is not true? Select one: a. Sea level in the middle of a gyre is 2 meters lower than the surrounding ocean. b. Gyre circulation is influenced by atmospheric winds, the Coriolis effect, and continental boundaries. c. Gyres circulate in a clockwise fashion in the Northern Hemisphere. d. The volume of water circulating in gyres is far greater than the combined flow of all of Earth's rivers. e. None of the answers is true.
Answer:A
If Earth's axis had no tilt,: Select one: a. seasonal change in solar energy at Earth's surface would be maximized. b. solstices and equinoxes would be well-defined. c. the overhead Sun would always be at the equator. d. the poles would alternate between day-long darkness and day-long sunlight over the course of the year. e. None of the answers is correct.
Answer:C
What is the average amount of solar energy retained by Earth? Select one: a. 238 W/m2 b. 340 W/m2 c. 1362 W/m2 d. 2700 W/m2 e. None of the answers is correct.
Answer:a
What is the main factor that influences regional biomass? Select one: a. the amount of rainfall received b. the amount of sunlight striking the surface c. the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide d. the type and depth of soil e. None of the answers is correct.
Answer:a
Albedo: Select one: a. is higher for sea water than for sea ice b. refers to the reflectivity of the surface of the Earth c. has a maximum value of 10 d. refers to the rate of flow of sea ice e. is a constant value for any given planet Feedback
Answer:b
Each of the following is true about sea ice around Shishmaref Alaska EXCEPT: Select one: a. it provides a platform from which to hunt seals b. it is forming earlier in the Fall c. it protects the coast from storms d. it may be made of young ice, know as sikualiaq e. it used to be able to support dog sleds and snowmobiles
Answer:b
Hypotheses: Select one: a. can never be rejected, only proven b. are educated statements that explain a series of observations AND that can be tested c. are normative statements d. play no role in the scientific process e. are only used in the basic sciences Feedback
Answer:b
Seasonal sea ice differs from perennial sea ice: Select one: a. in being less salty b. in being more salty c. in having a lower albedo d. in being thicker e. in being less extensive
Answer:b
What effect does sea ice have on atmospheric temperature? Select one: a. Latent heat is given off to the atmosphere as sea ice melts, providing additional warming. b. Sea ice prevents the release of heat from the ocean beneath, allowing air temperatures to get much colder in winter. c. Solar energy is reflected off of sea ice and back through the atmosphere, providing additional warming in summer. d. Thermal energy is conducted rapidly through sea ice from the ocean to the atmosphere above. e. None of the answers is correct
Answer:b
Why are the rates of photosynthesis in sunlit surface ocean waters limited? Select one: a. Sunlight cannot penetrate below the top 1 m of water. b. Surface waters are depleted of nutrients when phytoplankton die and sink to deeper waters. c. There is no photosynthesizing plant life in the surface oceans. d. There is very little CO2 in surface ocean waters. e. All of the answers are correct.
Answer:b
In which of the following areas would you expect upwelling of ocean water to occur? Select one: a. where sea ice forms b. where surface waters cool c. where surface winds blow parallel to coastlines d. where high evaporation rates increase surface salinity e. None of the answers is correct.
Answer:c
Which of the following has the highest average albedo range? Select one: a. desert sand b. forest c. fresh snow or ice d. water e. All of the above are similar in albedo range.
Answer:c
Why does no deep water form today in the high latitudes of the Pacific Ocean? Select one: a. The ocean depth is too shallow. b. There is excess salt rejection. c. The salinity of the surface water is too low. d. The surface water is too cold. e. All of the answers are correct.
Answer:c
the natural greenhouse effect Select one: a. occurs because of water vapor, not carbon dioxide b. keeps Earth from being frozen everywhere c. is much smaller than the human-induced greenhouse effect d. is the same on all planets e. is the reason why there is sea ice in polar regions
Answer:c
In which of the following cases would glacier mass balance be positive? Select one: a. Ablation exceeds accumulation. b. The glacier is shrinking. c. The mean annual temperature at the highest elevation of the ice sheet is -5°C. d. The overall snowfall rate is greater than ice loss through melting and calving. e. All of the cases would be positive.
Answer:d
What is the driving force for the Hadley cell circulation pattern? Select one: a. glacial movement b. ocean gyres c. tectonic convection d. tropical heating e. None of the answers is correct.
Answer:d
When Earth is in the aphelion position along its orbital path,: Select one: a. it is closest to the Sun. b. it is approximately 153 million km from the Sun. c. North America will experience a longer winter season. d. the intensity of solar radiation received by Earth is reduced by a few percent. e. All of the answers are correct.
Answer:d
Which of the following statements about Earth's carbon cycle is correct? Select one: a. Carbon contained in sediments and rocks is permanently removed from the carbon cycle. b. Carbon does not readily move between the atmosphere and surface ocean. c. The largest carbon reservoirs exchange carbon at the fastest rates. d. Photosynthesis constitutes the most rapid annual carbon exchange. e. All of the answers are correct.
Answer:d
Earth's obliquity is: Select one: a. about 23.5° today. b. equal to the angle made by Earth's rotational axis with a line perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. c. equal to the angle made by the intersection of a plane passing through the equator and the plane of the ecliptic. d. Both A and B are correct. e. All of the answers are correct.
Answer:e
Ocean productivity is greatest near the centers of the subtropical gyres. Select one: True False
Answer:false
Which of the following is a normative claim: Select one: a. sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk in the past 20 years b. methane (CH4) as well as carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions contributes to global climate change c. the spectacular coral reefs of the tropics are threatened by the acidification of sea water due to CO2 emissions d. humans should control nature, so the burning of fossil fuels cannot be considered a bad thing e. there has been relatively little global temperature change in the past 15 years
answer:d
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Select one: a. is composed only of scientists from Annex 1 countries b. addresses only normative questions of climate change c. has issued one report, in 2007, regarding the science of climate change d. reports that the uncertain on climate projections has increased in the last 20 years e. is the most authoritative, international scientific assessment body on climate change, and is composed of hundreds of scientists from around the world Feedback
answer:e
All of the following are TRUE about the Coriolis Effect except: A Air or water moving from the North Pole to the equator is deflected to the west B Air or water moving from the equator to the South Pole is deflected to the east C Air or water moving from the equator to the North Pole is deflected to the west D Air or water moving from the South Pole to the equator is deflected to west
answer: C
Which of the following best characterizes an El Nino Year: A The tradewinds intensify B The thermocline deepens in the eastern Pacific C Atmospheric pressure is unusually low in the eastern Pacific D BOTH B and C
answer: D
Of all of the environmental effects that we presently face, global climate change is the most severe because: Select one: a. it effects land more than the oceans b. of the severity and widespread nature of the harms it might bring c. it affects the Northern Hemisphere more than the Southern Hemisphere d. it affects the low latitudes more than the high latitudes e. it affects underdeveloped countries more than developed countries Feedback
answer: b