env sci quizzes for exam 2

Since pre-industrial times, Earth's average temperature has increased roughly ___________.

1 degree celsius

What is the average rate of annual sea level rise?

3.3 mm

Since 1979, tropical expansion has occurred at a rate of approximately _________ miles per decade?

30

What two data sources conclusively tell us that sea level is rising?

?global warming and internal variability

Causes of tropical expansion include all of the following except:

An increase in the Earth's average albedo

Which of the following is NOT true regarding CO2 and climate?

CO2 levels in the atmosphere have begun to stabilize and even decrease slightly.

The Hadley Cell's role in tropical expansion has been:

Extending farther poleward

Identify two negative outcomes of tropical expansion:

It could cause drought and water shortages in some places and crop failures in others.

Which of the following is NOT NECESSARILY a property of an air mass?

It must have a warm front at its leading edge.

Your reading for this week discussed how native tribes are leading the way in planning for climate change. Drawing on the reading, discuss one reason why tribes are at the forefront of climate adapation.

Many tribes are weaning themselves off of using fossil fuels! Since stopping the use of fossil fuels they are learning to rely on solar power putting them ahead of many countries that have started to introduce solar power but still rely on fossil fuels such as America.

The video for today ("Science at the Top of the World") shows scientists using ice cores to identify which of the following climatic changes in the Southern hemisphere:

a drying out of the andes related to a poleward shift of the westerlies

It can be said that along all the fronts in a midlatitude cyclone, ___________.

air rises

Where is the largest continental ice sheet?

antartica

Which of the following air masses can be identified as being "very stable"?

arctic

Fronts are located ________.

at the edges of air masses

Milankovitch cycles are roughly 100,000 year cycles in the Earth's climate, caused by ______________

changes in the earths orbit and tilt

Which type of front typically produces the fastest rise of air?

cold front

If an air mass with a relative humidity of 100% is cooled, what process will most likely result?

condensation

Of the air masses below, the coldest, driest ones are ___________.

continental polar (cP)

Which of the following air masses rarely affects North America?

equatorial

A higher dewpoint temperature means that there is less actual water vapor in the air.

false

Evaporation happens most rapidly when air is still (not moving).

false

If an air parcel is colder than the air surrounding it, it will tend to rise.

false

Over the past 4.5 billion years, the Earth's climate has remained stable until about 100 years ago.

false

Positive feedbacks are defined as processes that are beneficial for the climate and ecosystems

false

Sea level is rising, but the rate of rise is decreasing, or slowing down.

false

Some of the driest areas on Earth are on windward sides of mountain ranges.

false

Volcanic eruptions tend to lead to a short-term increase in global temperatures.

false

When air rises, saturated air cools at a greater (faster) rate than unsaturated air.

false

When water evaporates, latent heat is released.

false

Where in the world is the most rapid decline in ice, as measured by weight and volume?

greenland

The first climate refugees, people who have been displaced due to a changing climate, were located where in the United States?

gulf coast, louisiana

Which of the following is NOT a climate proxy?

historical measurements of temperature

A midlatitude anticyclone _______________.

is associated with sunny, dry weather

The graph that shows increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over time, with seasonal ups and downs, is called the _____________.

keeling curve

Calm, fair weather is most likely to result from a ____________.

midlatitude anticyclone

Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas?

nitrogen

When neither air masses displaces the adjacent one, their boundary is called a(n) __________.

stationary front

Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that humans emit primarily through _________.

synthetic fertilizer use

Where on Earth is experiencing the most rapid warming?

the arctic

Where on earth would you expect to find the largest total amounts of water vapor in the air?

the itcz

Which of the following is NOT an ideal air mass source region?

the rocky mountains west of colorado springs

What is the name of phenomenon that describes warmer ocean water taking up more volume?

thermal expansion

A cold winter night is typically a stable air situation.

true

Frontal precipitation is most characteristic of the middle latitudes.

true

Ice core data shows evidence of multiple cycles of alternating glacial and interglacial periods.

true

Relative humidity is a measure of how close air is to saturation.

true

Since the 1970s, the Sun's energy has been going down, while the Earth is getting warmer. This indicates that changes in solar output are unlikely to be a cause of climate change in recent decades.

true

Some of the highest rates of sea level rise are occurring in the western Pacific near Kiribati

true

The lifting condensation level is the altitude at which rising air is cooled to the dew point.

true

The stability of air is determined by its temperature relationship to the surrounding air.

true

The warmer the air, the more water vapor it can hold.

true

When air sinks, it heats up by compression.

true

When the temperature of an air mass is equal to its dewpoint, relative humidity is 100%.

true

When water condenses, it releases heat energy and heats the surrounding air.

true

Which type of front causes many hours of steady rain?

warm front

Which art of Antarctica is melting the most rapidly?

west antartica

Midlatitude cyclones and anticyclones function as migratory weather systems in the _____________.

westerlies