Unit 12, Climate Change Wikipedia Homework

In Wikipedia, look up "Aerosol", and answer this question: What is an aerosol? a. A suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in the air. b. A type of greenhouse gas that traps heat. c. A measure of the capacity of a surface to reflect light. d. An atmospheric gas that does not trap heat.

a. A suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in the air.

In Wikipedia, look up "Greenhouse gas", and answer this question: True or False: Though greenhouses gases currently have a negative connotation because of their effect on global warming, they are nevertheless critical to supporting life on this planet. a. True b. False

a. True

In Wikipedia, look up "Climate change" and answer this question: About how much has the average temperature climbed due to global warming? a. 0.5 °C b. 1.2 °C c. 2.6 °C d. 4.1 °C

b. 1.2 °C

In Wikipedia, look up "Climate model", and answer this question: Quantitative climate models take account incoming energy from the sun as short-wave electromagnetic radiation and outgoing long wave infrared electromagnetic radiation to determine how these two quantities balance. What is the direct consequence of an imbalance between these two quantities? a. A change in humidity b. A change in temperature c. A change in atmospheric pressure d. All the above

b. A change in temperature

In Wikipedia, look up "Milankovitch cycles", and answer this question: What are Milankovitch cycles? a. Variations in natural greenhouse gas emissions as a function of season. b. Changes in Earth's orbital parameters over time that effect climate. c. Ocean currents driven by temperature and salinity differences. d. Atmospheric cycles that influence droughts and monsoons.

b. Changes in Earth's orbital parameters over time that effect climate.

In Wikipedia, look up "Thermohaline circulation" and answer this question: What is thermohaline circulation? a. Atmospheric currents that bring warm air from the tropics to high latitudes. b. Ocean currents driven by density gradients created by surface heat and freshwater fluxes. c. The transfer of energy between atmospheric and ocean currents. d. The process by which heat emitted from the surface is absorbed and reemitted by greenhouse gases.

b. Ocean currents driven by density gradients created by surface heat and freshwater fluxes.

In Wikipedia, look up "Climate change" and answer this question: Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, what is the objective with regards to global warming? a. To keep global warming under a 1 °C increase from pre-industrial age temperatures. b. To keep global warming under 2 °C increase from pre-industrial age temperatures. c. To keep global warming under 3 °C increase from pre-industrial age temperatures. d. To keep global warming under 4 °C increase from pre-industrial age temperatures.

b. To keep global warming under 2 °C increase from pre-industrial age temperatures.

In Wikipedia, look up "Albedo", and answer this question: What is albedo? a. A suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in the air. b. A type of greenhouse gas that traps heat. c. A measure of the capacity of a surface to reflect light. d. An atmospheric gas that does not trap heat.

c. A measure of the capacity of a surface to reflect light.

In Wikipedia, look up "Climate change", find the figure with the caption "CO2 concentrations over the last 800,000 years as measured from ice cores (blue/green) and directly (black)" (third down from top). What conclusion can one draw from looking at this figure? a. Current CO2 concentrations are about half what they were in any pre-industrial times. b. Current CO2 concentrations are about the same as what they were in any pre-industrial times. c. Current CO2 concentrations are almost double what they were in any pre-industrial times.

c. Current CO2 concentrations are almost double what they were in any pre-industrial times.

In Wikipedia, look up "Climate change", scroll down to "Mitigation" and answer this question: Which of the following is NOT a means to mitigate climate change? a. Enhance sinks that absorb greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. b. Increase the use of renewable energy c. Replace trees with farmland d. Increase energy efficiency

c. Replace trees with farmland

In Wikipedia, look up "Climate change" and answer this question: Which of the following statement is true? a. The Earth has never been hotter in the past than it is today. b. Prior to recent times, the Earth's temperature has remained fairly constant. c. The current change in temperature is more rapid than at any known time in Earth's history. d. All the above

c. The current change in temperature is more rapid than at any known time in Earth's history.

In Wikipedia, look up "Greenhouse gas", and answer this question: A greenhouse gas absorbs radiant energy within which part of the light spectrum? a. ultraviolet b. visible c. infrared d. microwave

c. infrared

In Wikipedia, look up "Climate change", scroll down to "Scientific consensus" and answer this question: What percent of the most recent scientific studies conclude that global warming is mainly caused by human activities? a. 50% b. 75% c. 90% d. >99%

d. >99%

In Wikipedia, look up "Climate change" and answer this question: Which of the following has contributed to the current rise of temperatures? a. The emission of greenhouse gases. b. Loss of sunlight-reflecting snow cover. c. The release of carbon dioxide from drought-stricken forests. d. All the above

d. All the above

In Wikipedia, look up "Climate change", find the figure with the caption that begins with "Change in average surface air temperature since the industrial revolution, plus drivers for that change" (second down from top). This figure shows how well a numerical model of atmospheric and oceanic processes can match the observed change in global temperatures (black line) over the past 170 years. Model results that only consider natural drivers (e.g., volcanic eruptions, decay of dead organisms) are shown as the green line, while models that also consider human drivers (e.g., burning of fossil fuels) are shown as the red line. What conclusion can one draw from looking at this figure? a. The main driver for recent increased global temperatures is human activity. b. Natural forces add relatively minor temperature variability. c. Observed global surface temperatures have already climbed 1 deg C since the pre-industrial era d. All the above

d. All the above

In Wikipedia, look up "Climate change", scroll down to "Mitigation" and look at the figure regarding scenarios of global greenhouse gas emissions. What conclusion can one draw from looking at this figure? a. If gas emissions drop to zero by the year 2100, global temperatures will still rise from between 1.5-2 degrees C relative to pre-industrial age temperatures. b. If all countries stick to their Paris Agreement pledges, global temperatures will still rise 2.5-2.8 degrees C by the year 2100 relative to pre-industrial age temperatures. c. If no climate policies are put into practice, global temperatures will rise more than 4 degrees C by the year 2100 relative to pre-industrial age temperatures. d. All the above

d. All the above

In Wikipedia, look up "Climate change" and answer this question: Which of the following is NOT a consequence of higher temperatures? a. More wildfires b. More intense storms c. More extinctions d. All the above are consequences of higher temperatures

d. All the above are consequences of higher temperatures

In Wikipedia, look up "Climate change" and answer this question: Which of the following is NOT a way in which people are currently being affected by climate change? a. Water scarcity b. Economic losses c. Human migration d. All the above are effects of higher global temperatures on people

d. All the above are effects of higher global temperatures on people

In Wikipedia, look up "Ice core" and answer this question: Which of the following is NOT true about ice cores? a. Ice cores can contain ice that is as much as 800,000 years old. b. Ice cores can provide information about ancient temperatures. c. Ice cores can provide information about past concentrations of carbon dioxide. d. All the above statements are true

d. All the above statements are true

In Wikipedia, look up "Carbon footprint" and answer this question: A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, organization, service, place, or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent. Thus, reducing your carbon footprint is a way to fight global warming. Who popularized this concept with a $250 million advertising campaign? a. The United Nations b. The organization Scientists Without Borders c. Greenpeace d. The oil and gas company BP (British Petroleum)

d. The oil and gas company BP (British Petroleum)