AMS Chapter 8

Carbon stores in the ocean account for what percentage of carbon emitted by human activity since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution?

4) 28%

In which of the following decades was warming greater than the previous decade?

4) All of the above are correct

Which of the following locations are responsible for calculating the monthly average surface temperature for the global record?

4) All of the above are correct.

With regards to climate change and geography, what important lesson can be learned from investigating the climate record?

4) Both a and b are correct

What was the possible impact of the Maunder minimum on Earth?

4) Less hours of daylight

About how many ships are involved in the voluntary observing ship program?

4000

By the end of the present century, what is the projection for CO2 concentration?

550 ppm

How is an epoch delineated?

changes in rock type

According to climate models, what percent change in solar output could cause climate change?

1) 1%

Who is credited with being the first to study sunspots?

1) Galileo

The Maunder minimum denotes a period of _____ sunspots.

1) fewer

Why have skeptics dismissed the correlation between Maunder minimum and cooler climate?

1) it was not global in extent

What is the current month of perihelion? 4) October

1) january

Where are the levels of Carbon 14 measured?

1) tree rings

Using the "hockey stick" model, for about how long was the downward trend in temperature (i.e. the handle)?

1000 years

For about how long have systematic temperature and precipitation observations been made in the U.S.?

140 years

According to Figure 8.5, NCDC data indicate that the ______ was the last decade during which mean annual global (surface plus land) surface temperatures were below the 1901-2000 average.

1970's

As of 2013, 9 of the 10 warmest years on record were during the 21st century. Only one 20th century year, _____, was among the 10 warmest.

2) 1998

Which isotope is a proxy for solar activity?

2) Carbon 14

Which of the following is an example of how technology has improved our measurement of climate data?

2) Electronic sensors have been replaced with thermometers

What impact does the change in the Sun's output have on climate?

2) Surface temperature would be more than it is now

How is Carbon 14 deposited?

2) photosynthesis

Due to precession, what will happen to the dates of perihelion and aphelion?

2) they will be reversed

How long is one Earth axial precession as embodied in the Milankovitch cycles?

23,000 years

According to generally accepted stellar models, stars like the Sun get brighter as they move through their life cycle. Relative to today, about 4 billion years ago how much energy was the Sun's output?

3) 70%

What can be said about change in extreme events as climate changes?

3) Both a and b are correct.

What is the current month of aphelion?

3) july

The most significant radiative forcing acting to warm Earth's climate is ____________.

Carbon dioxide

Which famous scientist is co-credited as the first to explain the Faint Young Sun Paradox?

Carl Sagan

Who were the first to observe Sunspots?

Chinese Astronomers

Which of the following time periods of reduced sunspot activity included the year without a summer (1816)?

Dalton minimum

One way to begin understanding the many possible causes of climate change is to match a forcing agent with ______.

a specific climactic response

Climate changes generally tend to be more _________ than the reverse.

abrupt

Which of the following about human activities is true?

all of the above

Which of the following cloud properties is affected by aerosols?

all of the above

Which of the following about sulfurous aerosols is true?

all of the above are correct

Which of the following are orbital parameters?

all of the above are correct

Which of the following are sources of methane?

all of the above are correct

Which of the following is true about the melting of Arctic sea ice?

all of the above are correct

Positive feedbacks act to __________ initial changes in a climate process.

amplify

Which of the following do flood basalts release, thus contributing to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?

both a and b are correct

The Milankovitch cycles alter which of the following?

distribution of radiation

Climate variability and change _________ affect all areas uniformly in trend and magnitude.

do not

How many times more than the pre-industrial level is CO2 concentrations expected to change to this century?

double

The long-term climate record shows ____________ cyclical variations related to climate forcing.

few

Methane hydrate deposits __________ been suspected of causing major changes in Earth's past climate system.

have

The Milankovitch cycles ___________ been corroborated by deep-sea cores.

have

A graph of the instrumental record of temperature over the past 1000 years has the appearance of a __________.

hockey stick

Loss of high latitude permafrost affects the climate system primarily due to ________________

increased river runoff

What is positive feedback?

initial change enhances change in climate

What is negative feedback?

initial change stabilizes change in climate

The Sun's total irradiance _____.

is not constant

When did atmospheric CO2 concentration exceed 400 ppm for the first time?

may 2013

Which of the following relationships is true?

more sunspots man more solar irradiance

What will be the result of perihelion and aphelion changing?

none of the above

Sunspots are found in which part of the Sun?

photosphere

The ice-albedo feedback is an example of a ___________ feedback.

positive

Volcanic activity producing ____________ can lead to cooling of Earth over a several year period.

sulfer dioxide and ash

What is a major reservoir for carbon?

the ocean

Earth's early atmosphere likely contained _____. Question 44 options:

very little, if any, free oxygen

Prior to the mid-1940s, how were sea-surface temperatures (SST) primarily measured?

with a bucket