Climate Literacy Exam

Question 1

The Earth has seasons because:

a) changes in the angle of incoming radiation due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis relative to its orbit around the sun

b) atmospheric CO2 concentrations and the strength of the greenhouse effect vary with seasonal changes in photosynthesis and plant growth

c) the Earth wobbles on its axis, like a slowly sipping top, such that the each hemisphere is closer to the sun during the summer

d) the Earth’s orbit is elliptical such that more incoming solar radiation is received at certain times of the year

Answer 1

a) changes in the angle of incoming radiation due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis relative to its orbit around the sun.

Question 2

Some solar scientists claim that the sun is entering a prolonged period of low sunspot activity. If true, how would that affect the Earth’s climate?

a) Cool the climate, but only in the Northern Hemisphere

b) Cool the climate globally

c) Counteract the warming from human enhancement of the greenhouse effect.

d) Slightly reduce the rate of warming from human enhancement of the greenhouse effect

Answer 2

d) Slightly reduce the rate of warming from human enhancement of the greenhouse effect

Question 3

Climate scientists often call CO2 the “control knob” of the Earth’s temperature because:

a) The solar cycle causes the Sun to give off more heat energy in June and less heat energy in December, so the intensity of sunlight is greater in June

b) atmospheric CO2 is the largest contributor to the natural greenhouse effect

c) the CO2 contribution to the greenhouse effect keeps the planet warm enough for water to evaporate into the atmosphere

d) water vapour is the largest contributor to the greenhouse effect, but also contributes to clouds which cool the planet

Answer 3

c) The CO2 contribution to the greenhouse effect keeps the planet warm enough for water to evaporte into the atmosphere

Question 4

Imagine all the forests on the planet were converted to farmland, covered by grass crops which are much brighter (lighter colour) than the darker trees. The planet would:

a) Reflect less incoming radiation, because of the relative thickness of grasslands and forest

b) Take additional CO2 out of the atmosphere, because of cutting down all the forests

c) Experience “bluer” skies, because the shorter grass would scatter more incoming radiation

d) Absorb less incoming radiation, because of an increase in planetary albedo

Answer 4

d) Absorb less incoming radiation, because of an increase in planetary albedo

Question 5

Suppose the temperature of the sun suddenly increased by 100 degC and then stayed constant at that level. The Earth would experience:

a) a permanent radiative imbalance, because the incoming solar radiation exceeds the outgoing radiation from the planet

b) an increase in the average surface temperature until the outgoing radiation from the planet matches the incoming solar radiation

c) a momentary increase in the planetary surface temperature by 100 °C

d) a runaway greenhouse effect, because the incoming solar radiation would activate greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

Answer 5

b) An increase in the average surface temperature until the outgoing radiation from the planet matches the incoming solar radiation.

Question 6

Our neighbouring planets Venus and Mars are often studied by scientists in order to better understand the climate of Earth. Why is Venus so much warmer than Mars?

a) Venus receives more radiation from the sun and has a thicker atmosphere full of CO2

b) Venus receives more radiation from the sun and is larger than Mars

c) Mars has the same mass of atmospheric CO2 as Venus, but it is too cold for a runaway greenhouse effect

d) Mars has a lower concentration of CO2 than Venus

Answer 6

a) Venus receives more radiation from the sun and has a thicker atmosphere full of CO2

Question 7

Your uncle Samir claims that the frequencies at which CO2 rotates are properly saturated, so adding additional CO2 to the atmosphere will have no effect on the climate. Is he right?

a) Yes, because CO2 is already a high concentration gas in the atmosphere

b) Partially, because CO2 absorption may be saturated, but CH4 absorption is not

c) Partially, because additional CO2 molecules can do absorption can happen in the high upper atmosphere, which is much warmer

d) No, because although the core of that band of CO2 absorption frequencies may be saturated, additional absorption can happen at the edges of the band

Answer 7

d) No, because although the core of that band of CO2 absorption frequencies may be saturated, additional absorption can happen at the edges of the band.

Question 8

Radiation is emitted out to space at a warmer temperature at the wavelengths of the “atmospheric window” than at wavelengths of methane (CH4) absorption because:

a) CH4 is a more effective greenhouse gas than CO2

b) CH4 absorption happens close to the surface

c) It is radiated from the warmest part of the atmosphere

d) It is radiated from the surface which is warmer than the atmosphere

Answer 8

d) It is radiated from the surface which is warmer than the atmosphere

Question 9

The following atmospheric gases, in order, are most responsible for natural (pre-industrial greenhouse effect (i.e. not including the impact of human activity)?

a) N2, O2

b) CO2, CH4 (methane)

c) CO2, H2O

d) H2O, CO2

Answer 9

d) H2O, CO2

Question 10

which of the following gases is NOT infrared-active:

a) water vapour (H2O)

b) methane (CH4)

c) carbon monoxide (CO)

d) ozone (O3)

Answer 10

Carbon monoxide (CO)

Question 11

The Observed increase in the atmospheric concentration of CO2 of roughly 100 ppm since the late 1950s on this graph above from Mauna Loa, Hawaii represents:

a) global emissions from fossil fuel burning and land use change

b) the difference between emissions from fossil fuel burning and ocean uptake

c) the emissions from fossil fuel burning minus the ocean uptake and the net land carbon exchange

d) emissions from fossil fuel burning in Hawaii minus the carbon uptake by local forests and the surrounding ocean

Answer 11

C) The emissions from the fossil fuel burning minus the ocean uptake and the net land carbon exchange

Question 12

Which statement best explains the seasonal variation in atmospheric CO2 concentration (the “wiggles”) in the above graph. As the Northern Hemisphere Spring/Summer growing season begins, photosynthesis causes the CO2 concentration to…

a) decrease (as growing vegetation takes in more CO2), and then increases in Fall/Winter

b) increase (as growing vegetation releases more CO2), and then decreases in Fall/Winter

c) decrease (as growing vegetation takes in more CO2), and then increases in the following Spring and Summer

d) increase (as growing vegetation releases more CO2), and then decreases in the following Spring and Summer

Answer 12

a) Decrease (as growing vegetation takes in more CO2) and then increases in the Fall/Winter

Question 13

In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos snaps his fingers and makes half of all life in the universe disappear - including half of all the algea (plankton) that lives in the ocean. Based on what we learned about oceans in class, half of all marine algea disappearing would:

a) increase atmospheric CO2 concentrations, because of a reduced biological pump of carbon into the deep ocean, and, in turn, reduced dissolution of CO2 into the ocean

b) reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations, because marine algae produce organic carbon which respires near the surface and releases CO2 into the atmosphere

c) increase atmospheric oxygen concentrations, because with less marine algae, there would be less oxygen consumed and less CO2 released during photosynthesis

d) reduce atmospheric oxygen concentrations, because marine life in the oceans are responsible for half of all the oxygen in the atmosphere

Answer 13

a) Increase atmospheric concentrations, because of a reduced biological pump of carbon into the deep ocean, and, in turn, reduced dissolution of CO2 into the ocean

Question 14

Which of the following would DECREASE the terrestrial carbon sink (i.e. lead to less net carbon uptake by land over time?

a) Clearing land to grow more crops (e.g., for food)

b) Adding fertilizer to the world’s forests to promote tree growth

c) Adding iron to the ocean to create large algae blooms

d) Higher CO2 concentrations increasing photosynthesis by plants

Answer 14

a) Clearing land to grow more crops (e.g. for food)

Question 15

What is the ultimate fate of the CO2 released into Earth’s atmosphere by fossil fuel burning?

a) It stays in the atmosphere permanently

b) It is washed out of the atmosphere by rain within a few decades

c) Almost all of it is removed from the atmosphere within about a few hundred years via carbon cycle interactions with land and sea

d) About half of it is removed from the atmosphere within a few hundred years via carbon cycle interactions; the rest remains in the atmosphere for a longer time

Answer 15

d) About half of it is removed from the atmosphere within a few hundred years via carbon cycle interactions; the rest remains in the atmosphere for a longer time

Question 16

Imagine a scenario in which the world manages to slow the observed rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations over the next few decades so that it stabilizes at around 450 ppm sometime in the year 2050. This graph of atmospheric CO2 concentrations describes that scenario. Which of the following plots of annual anthropogenic CO2 emissions and annual removal (or sinks) of CO2 from the atmosphere (e.g., by the oceans) over time would achieve the “stabilization” scenario described above?
Note that the units on the following graphs are mass (in Gt of carbon) emitted per year.

Answer 16

A) Falling emissions, with steady removal. Emissions stay at 450, and removal matches it (net zero).

Question 17

Why has the fraction of the carbon in atmospheric CO2 that is in the form of the heavy carbon isotope 13C decreased over the past several decades?

a) Emissions of CO2 from fossil fuel and plant carbon has a lower 13C content than background atmospheric CO2

b) Industries removed 13C from fossil fuel carbon in order to track their emissions

c) Recent carbon uptake by land and ocean plants biases towards the lighter isotope 12C

d) CO2 emissions from fossil fuels exceed ocean uptake

Answer 17

a) Emissions of CO2 from fossil fuel and plant carbon has a lower 13C content than background atmospheric CO2

Question 18

Methane has a short residence time (“lifetime”) in the atmosphere because:

a) it is destroyed by chemical reactions in the troposphere

b) it is used quickly by wetland plants

c) it has a high global warming potential

d) it is destroyed by reactions with ozone in the stratosphere

Answer 18

a) It is destroyed by chemical reactions in the troposphere

Question 19

Nitrous Oxide (N2O) concentrations have increased in the atmosphere mostly because of…

a) combustion, like in a car engine

b) emissions during the creation of nitrogen fertilizer

c) air pollution from factories

d) emissions from agricultural soils

Answer 19

d) emissions from agricultural soils

Question 20

Global temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentrations were both lower during the glacial periods (“ice ages”) because:

a) Changes in the Earth’s orbit reduced the incoming radiation from the sun, and a positive feedback effect increased uptake of atmospheric CO2 by the planet

b) Changes in CO2 concentrations led to reduced heat in the climate system, which affected the Earth’s orbit around the sun

c) CO2 emissions were far lower because of the lack of human industry and fossil fuel burning

d) Changes in the Earth’s orbit changed the distribution of incoming radiation from the sun, and a positive feedback effect reduces atmospheric CO2 concentrations

Answer 20

d) Changes in the earth’s orbit changed the distribution of incoming radiation from the sun, and a positive feedback effect reduces atmospheric CO2 concentrations

Question 21

If society eliminated all aerosol and aerosol precursor pollution (“air pollution”), the planet would:

a) Warm even more, because aerosols react to destroy atmospheric CO2

b) Warm even more, because it would decrease the influence of aerosols on the reflectivity and lifetime of clouds

c) Stop warming, because of eliminating the deposition of soot and other dark particles on the planet

d) Cool, because a lower concentration of atmospheric aerosols would lead to more low clouds

Answer 21

b) Warm even more, because it would decrease the influence of aerosols on the reflectivity and lifetime of clouds

Question 22

Which of the following is a major driver of background or internal variability in the climate system (i.e. as seen in plots of global average surface temperature since the 1800s):

a) year-to-year variability in anthropogenic CO2 emissions

b) variability in the Earth’s orbital parameters

c) atmosphere-ocean oscillations like the El Niño-Southern Oscillation

d) climate feedback effects like the lapse-rate feedback or ice-albedo feedback

Answer 22

c) atmosphere-ocean oscillations like the El Niño-Southern Oscillation

Question 23

Enhancement of the greenhouse effect due to human activity has added heat to the climate system. The majority of this excess heat has gone into:

a) the atmosphere, as evidenced by the increase in global average temperature

b) the lower atmosphere only, because that’s where greenhouse gases are found

c) the ocean, because of its high heat capacity of water and great depth

d) the atmosphere and the surface together, including ice-covered parts of the planet

Answer 23

c) the ocean, because of its high heat capacity of water and great depth

Question 24

Simple physics calculations how that doubling of CO2 concentration would increase global average surface temperatures by ~1.2degC. More complicated models of the climate system, however, predict a doubling of CO2 concentration would increase global average surface temperatures by ~2-4.5degC. What is the major cause of this disagreement?

a) Warming due to the increase in the concentration of other greenhouse gases

b) Atmospheric feedbacks effects, like the water vapour and cloud feedbacks

c) Melting of permafrost in the north, releasing more carbon to the atmosphere

d) Better representation of the range of absorption bands available to CO2

Answer 24

b) Atmospheric feedback effects, like the water vapour and cloud feedbacks

Question 25

In the year 1145, the massive pacific island volcano of Waponi Woo erupted for the last time, destroying the island of the same name. Scientists suspect, based on first principles, that the earth briefly:

a) warmed because of volcanic aerosols absorbing outgoing radiation from the surface

b) became sunnier, because the volcanic aerosols decrease cloud formation

c) experienced colder winters because of changes to the Arctic Oscillation

d) cooled because volcanic aerosols scatter and reflect incoming radiation

Answer 25

d) cooled because volcanic aerosols scatter and reflect incoming radiation

Question 26

In early 1998, a group of UBC students studying the normally wet tropical forests of northern Australia and Papua New Guinea experienced severe drought and forest fires. Had the students taken GEOG 312, they would have blamed the weather conditions on:

a) A La Niña event, in which a reversal of currents damages the fisheries of the region

b) A reduction in local coldwater upwelling related to the El Niño / Southern Oscillation

c) A large volcanic eruption, which changes incoming shortwave radiation and causes widespread drought

d) An El Niño event, in which a reversal of the equatorial currents and winds brings dry conditions to the region

Answer 26

d) An El Niño event, in which a reversal of the equatorial currents and winds brings dry conditions to the region

Question 27

If we add more high clouds, the lower atmosphere will:

a) cool, because the clouds high up in the atmosphere radiate to space at a colder temperature

b) cool, because clouds reflect and scatter incoming solar radiation

c) warm, because high clouds are especially effective at reflecting outgoing radiation

d) warm, because high clouds are more effective at absorbing the Earth’s outgoing radiation than reflecting incoming solar radiation

Answer 27

d) Warm, because high clouds are more effective at absorbing the earth’s outgoing radiation than reflecting incoming solar radiation

Question 28

Which of the following statements is CORRECT. Global warming has…

a) continued since 1998, as evidenced by change in total heat content in the climate system

b) paused for roughly a decade after 1998, as evidenced by the trend in global average air temperature

c) slowed down for a decade after 1998, because El Niño events were more frequent

d) sharply accelerated since 1998, as can been seen in the rapid decline of Arctic sea ice

Answer 28

a) Continued since 1988, as evidenced by change in total heat content in the climate system

Question 29

As the earth warmed from the last ice age, Northern Europe experienced a drop in temperatures that has been blamed on fresh meltwater dumping into the North Atlantic. Why do you think the cold spell lasted for around 1000 years?

a) the Gulf Stream, which normally brings warm water to Europe, was blocked by the fresh meltwaters

b) the ice-albedo feedback effect led to more Arctic sea ice and colder temperatures

c) the melt waters are very cold, and the ocean has a long memory or thermal inertia

d) the addition of fresh meltwaters to the North Atlantic slowed the thermohaline circulation

Answer 29

d) the addition of fresh meltwaters to the North Atlantic slowed the thermohaline circulation

Question 30

Melting ice from the planet’s major ice sheets - West Antarctica and Greenland - is one of the causes of recent sea-level rise. What are the two other ways that global warming is contributing to sea level rise?

a) melting of sea-ice (frozen sea water) and the increased evaporation of ocean water

b) addition of water from mountain glaciers and the decreased evaporation of ocean water

c) addition of water from mountain glaciers and the expansion of ocean water as it warms

d) melting of sea-ice (frozen sea water) and the contraction of ocean water as it warms

Answer 30

c) additions of water from mountain glaciers and the expansion of ocean water as it warms