Understanding Global Climate Change. Test 1

The rate of global mean to sea level rise measured by satellites is closest to which of the following: a. 3 mm/year b. 3 cm/year c. 30 cm/year d. 3 meters/year

3 mm/year

All parts of the earth are warming at the exact same rate.

False

An object with a low albedo is highly reflective.

False

During the Ice Age, global sea level was several hundred meters higher than it is today.

False

High energy electromagnetic radiation has a relatively low frequency.

False

In the past 100 years the earth (on average) has warmed approximately 20°C

False

On average, albedo in the tropics is higher than albedo at the poles.

False

Our atmosphere warms the planet because it is transparent to infrared radiation (heat) and opaque to visible radiation (visible light).

False

The solar constant is the same for every planet in our solar system.

False

Weather is the long-term average of climate.

False

An increase in temperature of 1°C is equal to an increase in temperature of 1°K.

True

High energy electromagnetic radiation has a relatively short wavelength.

True

Light travels through space by radiation.

True

The prime meridian runs through Greenwich, England.

True

There is great consistency among different datasets regarding the presence of climate change.

True

You are more likely to obtain a paleoproxy record that goes back 100's of thousands of years from an ice core rather than a tree ring core.

True

In the example in the previous question, the remaining energy is absorbed by the surface and reradiated as heat. If the surface is in radiative (energy) balance, how much radiation (in W/m2) does the surface emit? a. 800 b. 400 c. 600 d. 1000 e. 200

a. 800

You are going on vacation next year to ski. You will choose a location based on which of the following? a. Climate b. Weather

a. Climate

Which of the following is losing ice mass at the fastest rate? a. Greenland ice sheets b. Antarctica ice sheets c. (a) and (b) are losing ice at the same rate

a. Greenland ice sheets

As the temperature of a blackbody radiator decreases, wavelength of maximum emission (i.e. it's characteristic wavelength): a. Increases b. Decreases c. Remains the same

a. Increases

Which of the following does not significantly increase sea level? a. Melting Sea Ice b. Thermal Expansion of the Ocean c. Melting Land Ice

a. Melting Sea Ice

Venus is warmer than Mercury because: a. The atmosphere of Venus is thicker b. The solar constant of Venus is smaller. c. Albedo for Venus is higher. d. It's not warmer than Mercury.

a. The atmosphere of Venus is thicker

There are two separate satellites that make up the GRACE satellite, with one following the other. The first (front) satellite approaches a mountain range, while the second satellite is over the ocean. What best describes the change in distance between the two satellites: a. The distance increases. b. The distance decreases. c. Distance stays the same.

a. The distance increases.

When we talk about the greenhouse effect, what process are we referring to? a. The heating of the atmosphere by the surface b. The heating of the surface by the atmosphere. c. The heating of the surface by sunlight d. The radiation to space by the surface

a. The heating of the atmosphere by the surface

If an object emits less energy than it absorbs, the first law of thermodynamics tells us: a. The temperature of the object will increase b. The temperature of the object will decrease c. The temperature of the object will remain the same d. Nothing about the temperature and energy state of the object

a. The temperature of the object will increase

On average the amount of solar energy falling on you decreases as you: a. Travel south from the Equator b. Travel south from the North Pole c. Travel east from the Prime Meridian d. Travel west from the Prime Meridian

a. Travel south from the Equator

If the surface discussed in the previous two questions behaves as a blackbody radiator, which of the following is closest to the temperature of the surface? a. 205 K b. 306 K c. 244 K d. 345 K

d. 345 K

Which of the following is NOT the name of one of the three temperature scales: a. Celsius b. Fahrenheit c. Kelvin d. Avogadro

d. Avogadro

Which of the following is one reason the global warming causes sea level to rise? a. Increased rainfall causes an increase of water in the ocean. b. Global warming causes the sea floor to rise. c. Global warming causes the water in the ocean to expand. d. Land sinks, causing relative sea levels to rise. e. None of the above.

d. Land sinks, causing relative sea levels to rise.

Remember, the relationship between power and temperature of a blackbody is P/a=oT4. If the temperature of a blackbody doubles, it radiates: a 2x as much power b. 4x as much power c. 1/2x as much power d. 16x as much power

d. 16x as much power

Which of the following is closest to the surface temperature of this planet? a. 30°C b. 50°C c. 80°C d. 0°C e. 100°C

b. 50°C

Albedo, on average, is higher in the: a. Tropics b. Poles

b. Poles

The atmosphere of which planet has the largest greenhouse effect? a. Mercury b. Venus c. Earth d. Mars e. They all have the same greenhouse effect

b. Venus

A joule per second is a: a. Calorie b. Watt c. Volt d. Newton

b. Watt

The freezing point of water is: a. 0F b. 0K c. 273K d. 32C

c. 273K

The thickness of a tree ring in a given year will increase due to which of the following: a. Crowding from neighbor trees b. Insect infestation c. Abundant rainfall and higher springtime temperatures d. Extended periods of drought

c. Abundant rainfall and higher springtime temperatures

When you put one end of a steel rod in a fire, heat travels from the fire to your hand by: a. Evapotranspiration b. Convection c. Conduction d. Radiation

c. Conduction

In the n-layer atmosphere model we discussed in class, the surface temperature of the planet does NOT depend on: a. The solar constant (S) b. The planetary albedo c. The radius of the planet (r) d. The number of atmospheric layers (n) e. Actually the surface temperature depends on all of these quantities

c. The radius of the planet (r)

Satellites cannot be used to observe which of the following: a. Ocean Temperatures b. Sea Level c. Ice Melt d. Satellites can be used to observe all of the above.

d. Satellites can be used to observe all of the above.

What part of the earth does the "cryosphere" refer to? a. Oceans b. Land c. All of Earth d. The parts that are frozen

d. The parts that are frozen

The GRACE satellite CANNOT give us direct information about which of the following? a. Change in gravity on the earth's surface. b. Ice mass loss over the ice sheets. c. Movement of water between ocean and land. d. The temperature of the ocean.

d. The temperature of the ocean.

The solar irradiance hitting a flat surfaces 1000 W/m2. The albedo of this surface is 0.2. How much energy (in W/m2) is reflected back into space? a. 800 b. 400 c. 600 d. 1000 e. 200

e. 200