Chapter 18 - Climate Change

​Most of the ice on Earth is in the ____ ice sheets.

​Greenland and Antarctic

​Presently, the annual average of CO2 is about ____ .

400 ppm

Which of the following statements about weather and climate is correct?

Climate is the long-term average weather

As Earth rotates on its axis, it wobbles like a spinning top, and this wobble, is known as the eccentricity of Earth's axis.

False

The average global surface air temperature since the late 1800s has risen by more than 8 degrees Celsius.

False

If the Earth were in a cooling trend, which process below would most likely act as a positive feedback mechanism?

Increasing the snow cover around the Earth

Melting of permafrost releases a greenhouse gas more powerful than carbon dioxide (CO2). Which one?

Methane (CH4)

There has been multiple ice ages on earth. What causes ice ages?

Milankovitch cycles

During the last ice age North America was connected to Asia at the Bering Strait, a connection that lead to the introduction of a range of new animal species to North America.

True

Most of the recent global warming is due to an enhanced greenhouse effect caused by increasing levels of greenhouse gases, such as CO2.

True

Throughout Earth's history, the global climate has been both warmer and colder than it is today.

True

​Everything else being equal, the more CO2 in the atmosphere, the ____.

Warmer the surface area

Large volcanic eruptions emitting large amounts of aerosols and sulfur dioxide ________.

can cool the planet

The higher the ratio of oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 in the shells of organisms that lived in the sea during the geologic past, the ____ the climate at that time.

colder

The study of annual growth rings of trees is known as _____________.

dendrochronology

The temperature is increasing at the same rate all over the globe.

false

Seasonally high tides, becoming more common in many areas as sea levels continue to rise along the U.S. East Coast, are known as ____.

nuisance flooding

​The water vapor-greenhouse feedback represents a ____ feedback mechanism.

positive

Changes in the circulation patterns of the ocean and atmosphere, which redistributes energy within the climate system, is an example of an external cause of climate change.

false

​Sunspots occur in cycles, with the number and size reaching a maximum approximately every ____ years.

11

Information about past climates comes from _____________.

Ocean Sediments, Tree Rings, Coral Reefs, Ice Cores extracted from glaciers

Which of the following phenomena is NOT a result of current climate change?

Volcanic eruptions

​Particles that reduce the amount of sunlight reaching Earth's surface tend to cause ____ of the surface air during the ____.

a net cooling; day