oce ch 16
By how much has the pH of the ocean changed since the Industrial Revolution?
- 0.1 pH unit
What has analysis of ice cores revealed about atmospheric greenhouse gas levels during the historic period?
A sudden rise in greenhouse gas levels coincides with the start of the Industrial Revolution.
Which scenario on the SmartFigure shows the "business as usual" scenario?
A2
Which of Earth's spheres make up the climate system?
ALL
Which of the organisms below are directly affected by ocean acidity?
ALL
What is the fate of the carbon dioxide that is removed from the atmosphere by marine phytoplankton?
ALL but Marine phytoplankton do not remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Which of the following are useful as proxy data for understanding past climate changes? Choose all that apply.
ALL but predictions of when the next large volcanic eruptions could occur
The opening of Drake Passage about 41 million years ago caused a fundamental reorganization of ocean currents leading to the isolation of ________, which caused it to become much cooler.
Antarctica
Recent worldwide sea level rise cannot be attributed to which of the following?
Geological uplifting of ocean basins
What evidence is there that the O'Higgins Glacier is being affected by global warming?
It has retreated nine miles in the past 100 years because of melting.
What is notable about the Keeling curve?
It shows that carbon dioxide levels recently surpassed 400 parts per million (ppm), the highest level on record. It shows the annual variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. It is the longest continuous historical record of directly measured atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on Earth, going back to 1958.
An international agreement to voluntarily limit greenhouse gas emissions is called the:
Kyoto Protocol.
Based on a comparison of satellite images from 1984 to 2011, which of the following trees has migrated by about 12 square kilometers north, along Florida's Atlantic coast?
Mangrove
Which of the following greenhouse gases is produced by leakage from landfills, by domestic cattle, and by the cultivation of rice?
Methane (CH4)
Periodic variations in Earth's orbit that can cause natural climate changes are called _________.
Milankovitch cycles
How do the oceans contribute to maintaining a climate that is habitable for humans?
Oceans absorb large quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Which organisms are most sensitive to ocean acidity, and why?
Organisms with hard parts composed of calcium carbonate, because calcium carbonate dissolves in acidic seawater.
A reduction in the strength of the Gulf Stream and a decrease in North Atlantic Deep-water formation would most likely result in:
a cooling of the climate in northern Europe.
The world's oceans play a role in reducing global warming by:
absorbing surplus heat energy.
Where did the carbon dioxide and methane data in the SmartFigure come from?
air bubbles in ice cores from Antarctica
Which of Earth's spheres are humans a part of?
biosphere
As the ocean's surface is warmed, evaporation to the atmosphere increases. The addition of moisture to the atmosphere results in _________.
both positive and negative temperature feedback loops
The gas(es) that has/have the greatest relative contribution to increasing the greenhouse effect is/are:
carbon dioxide (CO2).
The rate of plate movement is only a few ________ per year so climate changes triggered by shifting plates happen on a scale of millions of years.
centimeters
Of the following natural factors, which have caused past climate changes on Earth? Choose all that apply.
changes in solar energy variations in Earth's orbit volcanic eruptions
Which of the following atmospheric constituents has the greatest ability to absorb heat on a per-mole basis?
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
The fourth IPCC Report of 2007 concluded that _________.
climate change models can mimic present-day conditions only if human emissions are taken into accou
Variations in Earth's orbit that influence long-term climate changes include ________.
eccentricity, obliquity and precession
Arctic sea ice naturally __________ during the dark, cold winters and __________ during the spring and summer.
expands; contracts
Most of the Sun's energy that reaches Earth's surface is in and near the ________ portion of the spectrum.
visible
Over the past 30 years, Earth's average surface temperature has risen by:
0.6°C.
According to the data shown in the SmartFigure, what is the natural range of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration over the past 800,000 years?
180-280 parts per million (ppm)
In 2015 President Obama's White House set a formal goal of reducing US greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by ________.
2025
Satellite data show that the rate of global sea level rise since 1993 is on average about:
3 millimeters/year.
What percentage of the Sun's energy that reaches Earth is reflected back into space?
30
In John Martin's experiments in the 1990s, by how much was iron fertilization of the oceans shown to increase phytoplankton productivity?
30 times
According to the data shown in the SmartFigure, what is the natural range of atmospheric methane concentration over the past 800,000 years?
350-750 parts per billion (ppb)
How much are global surface temperature expected to increase by the year 2100 if humans follow a "business-as-usual" scenario?
4
Since 1750, the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has increased more than ________.
40%
Approximately what percentage of incoming solar radiation is absorbed by the oceans and continents?
47%
If the "best case" scenario is followed, what will the approximate carbon dioxide concentration and global temperature increase be by the end of the century?
500 parts per million (ppm); 1°C
If the "business as usual" scenario is followed, what will carbon dioxide concentration and global temperature increase be by the end of the century?
850 parts per million (ppm); 4°C
What is the primary cause of the nearly 20 percent increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels since the 1960s?
Burning of fossil fuels
Which reaction below correctly illustrates why the ocean is becoming more acidic?
CO2 + H2O = H2CO3 = H+ + HCO3-
Which of the following human-generated gases makes the greatest relative contribution to increasing the greenhouse effect?
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Which of the following greenhouse gases is also destroying the ozone layer?
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
What did the results of NASA's SOIREE Experiment show?
Chlorophyll concentrations in the surface ocean were higher in the areas of the ocean where iron was added.
How might global warming affect cities that rely on glacial runoff for their water supply?
Cities may face long-term water shortages as the amount of water generated by glacial melt will decline as glaciers shrink.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued which of the following statements?
Climate change models can mimic present-day conditions only if human emissions are taken into account.
Which of the following statements about increasing ocean temperatures as a result of global warming is correct?
Deeper ocean waters are warming faster than expected.
Which of the following is not part of Earth's climate system?
Exosphere
Where on Earth are the Keeling atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations measured?
Hawaii
Which of the following is not a natural cause for global climate change?
Increase in elevation
What is the cause of the recent spikes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane concentrations?
Industrial Revolution
Which of the following statements is/are true regarding the basis of the iron hypothesis?
Iron is typically the limiting nutrient to productivity in areas of the ocean with low productivity. Global warming would be more pronounced without the role of tropical rainforests. Primary productivity in the ocean removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
What is causing a decline in Antarctica's Chinstrap penguins?
Populations of the penguin's major food source are declining because of melting sea ice.
What impact will increased carbon dioxide absorption by the oceans have on coral reefs?
Reefs will degrade over time, ultimately resulting in large-scale mortality.
Which of the following is the only viable explanation for the documented and observable recent climate changes, including the increased average temperature of Earth's surface?
Release of human-caused emissions
Which of the following is a natural factor that doesn't affect Earth's climate?
Reversed magnetic polarity
Which of the following is not considered paleoclimatological proxy data?
Reversed magnetic polarity
What impact would rising sea levels have on human migration?
Rising sea levels would cause enormous migration as people move inland away from affected areas.
Circulation in which of the following oceans is particularly sensitive to changes in its deep-water circulation pattern that dramatically and abruptly affect climate?
The North Atlantic Ocean
How do snow and ice on the surface of Earth affect Earth's climate?
Snow and ice reflect incoming solar radiation.
Which of the following statements about human-caused climate change is correct?
Social acceptance of human-caused climate change by the U.S. general public lags far behind scientists.
Which of the following statements best describes the correlation between the 11 year average of Temperature and Total Solar Irradiance for the past several decades?
Temperature has increased as Total Solar Irradiance has decreased
Which of the following is the key to understanding how the greenhouse effect works?
The change of wavelengths from visible to infrared
Which of the following statements correctly identify a mechanism by which two spheres interact?
The hydrosphere and atmosphere interact through evaporation and precipitation. The biosphere and atmosphere interact through forest fires. The geosphere and atmosphere interact through volcanic eruptions.
What is causing the oceans to become more acidic?
The oceans have absorbed about 30% of the carbon dioxide released by humans into the atmosphere.
How will increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels affect oceans?
The oceans will become more acidic.
Based of the Measured relative sea level data versus time from tide gauges from New York, New York; San Francisco, California; and Honolulu, Hawaii, which of the following statements is correct?
The rate of sea level rise is greater for New York than the other two cities.
Which of the following drives deep-water circulation?
The sinking of cold, high-salinity, surface waters at high latitudes
Why are scientists doing research in an underwater lab in the Great Barrier Reef?
To replicate future carbon dioxide levels and measure the changes in coral reef productivity, mortality and health
Which of the following is considered paleoclimatological proxy data?
Trapped air bubbles in glacial ice
Which of the following statements regarding Earth's natural climate variations is/are correct?
When carbon dioxide concentrations are higher, methane concentrations are higher. Recent spikes in carbon dioxide and methane are not a part of Earth's natural climate cycle. Natural variations include the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age.
Which of the following is not an effect of climate change in the oceans?
decreasing ocean acidity
The minimum area of Arctic sea ice cover has been __________ as air and water temperatures have been __________ over the past several decades.
decreasing; increasing
Climate models and observations to date indicate that the oceans will warm the most in _________.
high-latitude areas
Numerous climate science studies suggest that ________ are the cause of the recent documented changes in Earth's climate.
human activities
Scientists use complex computer models to predict scenarios for future climate change. Which of the factors listed below is/are included in the climate models?
human population increases and economic changes clouds and climate feedback loops anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions
What is the main cause of the increase in carbon dioxide seen in the Keeling curve?
humans burning fossil fuels
The most massive part of Earth's climate system belongs to the ________.
hydrosphere
Shortwave sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere, where it strikes the surface and is converted into longer-wavelength ________ radiation.
infrared
The greenhouse effect occurs when gas molecules absorb _________ radiation.
infrared
As sea ice melts and becomes liquid water, __________ heat is then absorbed from the Sun, creating warmer surface waters.
more
An increase in cloud cover and a corresponding decrease in absorption of solar radiation is an example of a ________.
negative-feedback loop
An increase in cloud cover due to higher moisture content in the atmosphere is an example of a ________.
negative-feedback loop
The Keeling curve is now supplemented by additional data from measurement sites around the world and by satellite data. According to the AIRS Mid-Tropospheric Carbon Dioxide NASA satellite data shown in the SmartFigure video, where on Earth are the most dramatic increases in carbon dioxide observed? (Shown in red.)
off the northeast coast of Asia off the northeast coast of North America
Arctic sea ice reached a historic minimum in 2012 that was approximately __________ the size of the long-term average recorded during 1979-2000.
one-half
Currently, about ________ of the carbon dioxide humankind releases into the atmosphere enters the oceans.
one-third
Studies indicate that acidification of the ocean by the absorption of carbon dioxide is harmful to virtually all marine life and ecosystems. The group most vulnerable to both warming and acidification would be the _________.
reef corals and other calcareous organisms
Burning of fossil fuels is chemically similar to:
respiration
What does scenario A1B require?
shift from fossil fuel-based economies to renewable energy-based economies implementation of new fuel-efficient technology
What is the primary driver of Earth's climate?
solar radiation
What causes the sawtooth pattern in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations?
summer and winter, when vegetation naturally absorbs and releases carbon dioxide
The ocean's "biological pump" _________.
takes carbon from the photic zone and stores it in deep ocean water and seafloor sediments
Which of the following are examples of positive climate feedback loops? Choose all that apply.
the addition of water vapor into the atmosphere heat uptake by the oceans
The warming of Earth's surface and atmosphere is a natural process controlled by the greenhouse effect. This process is being altered by human emissions, a phenomenon that is often referred to as ___________ . Choose all that apply.
the anthropogenic greenhouse load the enhanced greenhouse effect
What are the main factors that contribute to the documented global rise in sea level? Choose all that apply.
thermal expansion of ocean water as it warms an increase in the amount of water in the ocean from the melting of ice on land
Of the following atmospheric gases, only _________ is an important greenhouse gas.
water vapor (H2O)
The atmospheric component that naturally contributes to the majority of greenhouse warming on Earth is:
water vapor.
