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Climate Change and Society > Midterm 1 Quizes 1,2,3 > Flashcards

Midterm 1 Quizes 1,2,3 Flashcards

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1
Q

Roughly how large is a 1˚C warming in Fahrenheit?

0.5˚F
1˚F
2˚F
3˚F

A

2˚F

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2
Q

Which emits radiation with the shortest wavelengths?

An ice cube

The warm yellow tip of a flame

The hotter blue center of a flame

Not enough information to answer

A

The hotter blue center of a flame

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3
Q

When was the greenhouse effect discovered?
1820s
1920s
1950s
1970s

A

1820s

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4
Q

The atmosphere is mostly _______________________to solar radiation and _____________________ to Earth’s radiation.

Absorptive, transmissive
Transparent, opaque
Absorptive, reflective
Blocking, reflective

A

Transparent, opaque

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5
Q

How does CO2 warm the planet?

It absorbs incoming sunlight, warming the atmosphere and delivering heat to the surface

It absorbs earth’s outgoing radiation and re-emits it back toward the surface

It is absorbed by the oceans, increasing their heat content

It produces its own heat that adds to the energy delivered by the sun

A

It absorbs earth’s outgoing radiation and re-emits it back toward the surface

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6
Q

If you took away the atmosphere’s greenhouse effect, Earth would be ________________.

the same temperature

10 to 20°F warmer

10 to 20°F colder

50 to 60°F colder

A

50 to 60°F colder

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7
Q

For gas molecules to absorb infrared radiation, they need to have their electric charge be _____________________.

Symmetrical on both sides of the molecule

Lopsided toward one side of the molecule

A

Lopsided toward one side of the molecule

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8
Q

What is the current status of Earth’s energy balance?

Satellites and ocean warming both confirm that more energy is coming into the climate system than escaping it out to space

The climate system must be in energy balance, otherwise a vicious cycle would have taken over and warming would have spiraled out of control

Scientists suspect the climate system is gaining energy but there is no way to measure it and be sure

We do not know

A

Satellites and ocean warming both confirm that more energy is coming into the climate system than escaping it out to space

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9
Q

If the atmosphere and ocean stopped circulating __________________.

the tropics would be warmer and the poles would be colder

the tropics would be colder and the poles would be warmer

the tropics would be colder and the poles would be colder

the tropics would be warmer and the poles would be warmer

A

The tropics would be warmer and the poles would be colder

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10
Q

-Which does not affect global average temperature (i.e., the global energy balance)?

Strength of the sun

Atmospheric circulation

Earth’s albedo

Strength of the greenhouse effect

A

Atmospheric circulation

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10
Q

The Arctic is warming faster than the tropics, reducing the pole-to-equator temperature difference. What should this tend to do to atmospheric circulation?

Strengthen it

Weaken it

Reverse it

A

Weaken it

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11
Q

What would happen to the atmospheric wind belts if the planet spun backwards?

The winds would not change

The winds might stop

The winds would reverse

The winds would strengthen

A

The winds would reverse

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11
Q

Where are the surface and deep ocean best connected (i.e., able to move water vertically)?

the tropics due to the warm surface waters

the poles due to the cold surface waters

the mid-latitudes due to fronts in the atmosphere

the Indian Ocean due to the strong seasonal monsoons

A

the poles due to the cold surface waters

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12
Q

-Which is true?

Clouds and rain tend to form where air rises

It tends to be clear and sunny where air rises

Warm air cannot hold much water vapor, a key greenhouse gas

Warming an air mass increases its relative humidity

A

Clouds and rain tend to form where air rises

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13
Q

Which sets up the conditions for cold Arctic air to spill south over the US east coast in winter?

A straight jet stream

A wavy jet stream

A fast jet stream

A reversed jet stream

A

A wavy jet stream

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14
Q

What would happen to the salinity of the North Atlantic and the strength of the deep ocean conveyor belt if western North America was covered by flat plains instead of the Rocky Mountains?

Saltier North Atlantic and weaker conveyor circulation

Saltier North Atlantic and stronger conveyor circulation

Fresher North Atlantic and stronger conveyor circulation

Fresher North Atlantic and weaker conveyor circulation

A

Fresher North Atlantic and weaker conveyor circulation

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15
Q

If the deep ocean conveyor belt stopped circulating (i.e., surface waters stopped sinking into the depths of the ocean), global surface temperature would ___________________.

warm even faster

warm more slowly

cool

stop changing

A

warm even faster

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16
Q

Where has >90% of the heat gained due to Earth’s energy imbalance gone over the past 50 years?

It has been added to vegetation

Warming the atmosphere

Melting glaciers

Warming the oceans

It has been reflected back to space

A

Warming the oceans

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17
Q

Where has a “cold blob” been observed in recent years, suggesting the global ocean conveyor belt may be weakening?

The North Atlantic

Around Antarctica

The bottom of of the Pacific

This is a trick question; there is no cold blob because the world has been warming everywhere

A

The North Atlantic

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18
Q

Approximately how much would global sea level rise if all of the ice on the planet melted?

0 feet

10 feet

20 feet

200 feet

A

200 feet

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19
Q

Approximately how much would global sea level rise if all of the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean melted?

0 feet

10 feet

20 feet

200 feet

A

0 feet

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20
Q

Which is the largest potential contributor to sea level rise?

Mountain glaciers

Ice sheets

Ocean warming and expansion

Sea ice

A

Ice sheets

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21
Q

How much would sea level rise around Greenland if the Greenland Ice Sheet melted?

Less than the global average

The same as the global average

More than the global average

A

Less than the global average

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22
Q

How much has global sea level changed over the past century?

It has fallen 3 inches

It has not changed

It has risen 8 inches

It has risen 5 feet

A

It has risen 8 inches

23
Q

Why is the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica thought to be especially vulnerable to climate change?

It has more crevasses (cracks) than any glacier in the world

Meltwater drains underneath it lubricating its flow into the sea

Its surface is covered in dark dust, so it absorbs lots of sunlight

It sits on land beneath sea level that slopes inward toward the center of the ice sheet

A

It sits on land beneath sea level that slopes inward toward the center of the ice sheet

24
Q

If human fossil fuel emissions continue at the current rate throughout this century, atmospheric CO2 concentrations during the rest of your life will never be as low as they are today.

True

False

A

True

25
Q

Will chemical weathering of rocks remove the CO2 humans have emitted to the atmosphere?

Yes, and this should reverse global warming by 2100

Yes, but only after many thousands of years because it is a very slow process

No, a warming climate will prevent rocks from weathering and consuming CO2

No, weathering of rocks will release more CO2 into the atmosphere

A

Yes, but only after many thousands of years because it is a very slow process

26
Q

Approximately how much of our CO2 emissions has nature absorbed from the atmosphere?

None of it

Half of it

All of it

We do not know

A

Half of it

27
Q

Which contains the most carbon?

Atmosphere

Plants and soils

Surface ocean

Deep ocean

A

Deep ocean

28
Q

Which is true about how the carbon cycle worked in the centuries before humans started emitting carbon (i.e., before the Industrial Revolution)?

Carbon did not cycle between different reservoirs (land, ocean, atmosphere), so the level of CO2 in the atmosphere was stable

Carbon flows between different reservoirs were in balance, so the level of CO2 in the atmosphere was stable

More CO2 was flowing into than out of the atmosphere, so the level of CO2 in the atmosphere was rising

There was no CO2 in the atmosphere until humans started emitting it

A

Carbon flows between different reservoirs were in balance, so the level of CO2 in the atmosphere was stable

29
Q

Which of the following is an example of a climate feedback?

Melting glaciers delivering freshwater to the North Atlantic and slowing the deep ocean conveyor belt circulation

Thawing Arctic soils releasing greenhouse gases to the atmosphere

Melting sea ice increasing absorption of solar radiation

Warmer temperatures allowing insect populations to rise and kill carbon-absorbing forests

All of the above

None of the above

A

All of the above

30
Q

There is no way to compare how much different kinds of forcings affect the climate because they are in different units (e.g., CO2 concentrations are in parts per million, forest cover is in square miles, solar output is in watts, etc.), so one cannot do an “apples to apples” comparison between them.

True

False

A

False

30
Q

Doubling atmospheric CO2 levels by itself (i.e., only considering its direct effect) would cause the planet to warm by roughly how much?

0°C

1°C

2.5°C

4°C

A

1°C

31
Q

Climate could continue changing all on its own even after humans stop emitting greenhouse gases due to feedback loops.

True

False

A

True

32
Q

Water vapor is a key greenhouse gas, but it cannot force the climate to change, it can only amplify an already ongoing climate change as a feedback.

True

False

A

True

33
Q

What is the major source of uncertainty in predicting how much global warming will occur due to doubling atmospheric CO2 levels?

how much feedback loops will amplify or diminish the initial warming from CO2

how large of a forcing 2x CO2 is (i.e., how much extra radiation it will trap)

how much shortwave radiation from the sun the CO2 will absorb

there is very little uncertainty

A

how much feedback loops will amplify or diminish the initial warming from CO2

34
Q

How much will doubling atmospheric CO2 likely change global temperature (i.e., “climate sensitivity”)?

0-1°C colder

0-1°C warmer

1.2-1.3°C warmer

2.5-4°C warmer

5-10°C warmer

A

2.5-4°C warmer

35
Q

Feedbacks in the climate system tend to __________________ the direct warming from rising greenhouse gases.

amplify

counteract

leave unchanged

A

amplify

36
Q

Let’s say Earth’s climate sensitivity is 3°C. If CO2 concentrations reach twice their preindustrial level in 2050, how much warmer will global temperature be that year?

3°C

less than 3°C

more than 3°C

A

less than 3°C

37
Q

A tipping point is called that because a system always tips abruptly once the threshold point is crossed.

True

False

A

False

A tipping point simply refers to a system that will change states once a threshold is crossed, but it may not happen abruptly if the processes involved take a long time. For example, we may have crossed the tipping point between online shopping versus brick-and-mortar retail stores, but shopping malls will not instantly disappear (if they ever do).

38
Q

There are thought to be many tipping points throughout the climate system, including the ocean, the ice, and the land, and from the poles to the tropics.

True

False

A

True

As we discussed in class, major tipping points in the climate system include (but not limit to) melt of Greenland ice sheet, boreal forest dieback, change in ENSO amplitude or frequency, etc.

39
Q

Some tipping points may be temporarily crossed without causing the system to jump to a new state if the forcing is turned back down quickly enough.

True

False

A

True

Think when you are canoeing and just about to flip, if you lean to the other direction immediately, you might not flip over.

40
Q

Which of the following is NOT true about climate tipping points?

They could cause abrupt shifts in the climate

They can be precisely predicted

They could have large impacts on people and ecosystems

They could be triggered by small amounts of warming beyond a critical threshold

A

They can be precisely predicted

41
Q

Climate only varies if it is pushed by an external forcing.

True

False

A

False

Climate also varies due to internal or unforced variability, e.g., temperature variability at a given location across different years in a short term.

42
Q

Internal variability within the climate system is organized into recurring patterns or modes.

True

False

A

True

Internal unforced variability tends to be organized into large-scale patterns or “climate modes” that oscillate back and forth over years to decades. Examples are ENSO, AMO, and NAO.

43
Q

Over what time scale does internal climate variability occur?

years

several years

decades

all of the above

A

All of the above

Internal climate variability could occur on time scales of years to decades.

44
Q

The largest driver of year-to-year temperature variability at any given location is usually an external forcing, such as the steadily rising concentration of atmospheric CO2.

True

False

A

False

At a given location, the largest driver of year-to-year temperature variability is usually internal unforced variability. Internal variability causes the largest fluctuations at local scales by sloshing heat from one place to another.

45
Q

The global temperature record shows numerous 5 or 10-year intervals of stable or declining temperatures over the past half century.

True

False

A

True

This is true - have a closer look at the figure on slide 22 of the “8. Forced and unforced variability” PowerPoint.

46
Q

The longer you observe the climate, the more confident you can be if there is a trend in it.

True

False

A

True

Internal variability largely cancels out globally and over longer time scales, so it is easiest to see forced trends in global temperature over decades.

47
Q

Arctic permafrost thaw and carbon release is an example of an irreversible tipping point.

True

False

A

True

48
Q

The tiniest error in estimating what part of the atmosphere is doing right now could lead to a completely different forecast of what the weather might be in a couple weeks due to chaos.

True

False

A

True

This is true - a prediction with errors could be completely different from what is going to happen.

49
Q

The climate will always vary even if no external forcing is driving it.

True

False

A

True

This is true because we still need to consider internal unforced variability.

50
Q

The poles have larger year-to-year unforced variability than the tropics. If both experience the same rate of forced climate warming, where would you expect this warming trend to be detectable first?

Poles

Tropics

The trend would become clear in both regions at the same time

It is unclear

A

Tropics

Because the poles have larger unforced variability so they are less sensitive to forced climate warming. Likewise, tropics have smaller unforced variability so they are more sensitive to forced climate warming.

51
Q

The whole world likely warms up and cools down over the Ice Ages together because of _________________________.
Group of answer choices

changes in global average sunlight received due to cycles in the earth’s orbit

changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations

changes in the strength of the deep ocean conveyor belt

Changes in solar output over 20, 40, and 100 thousand year sunspot cycles

A

Changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations

52
Q

What is the initial trigger at the end of an ice age?

The sun gets brighter

The ocean conveyor belt strengthens

El Niños become more frequent

The earth’s orbit changes causing stronger Arctic sunlight to melt ice sheets

A

The earth’s orbit changes causing stronger Arctic sunlight to melt ice sheets

See the reading. The end of an ice age starts when increasing Arctic summer sunlight melts ice sheets (turning off the deep ocean conveyor by freshening the North Atlantic, in turn leading to CO2 coming out of the ocean around Antarctica).

53
Q

Which of the following does NOT vary in sync with the growth and decay of Arctic ice sheets over ice age cycles?

Global sea level

Atmospheric CO2 levels

Antarctic temperatures

The intensity of summer sunlight in the Southern Hemisphere

A

The intensity of summer sunlight in the Southern Hemisphere

The intensity of summer sunlight in the Southern Hemisphere depends on Milankovitch Cycles (precession, obliquity, and eccentricity).

54
Q

There had NOT been abrupt changes in Earth’s climate until today.

True

False

A

False

There were dozens of abrupt climate events during the last ice age.

55
Q

The atmospheric CO2 concentration is currently higher than it has been for at least 800,000 years.

True

False

A

True

The current CO2 concentration is ~420 ppm, much higher than the 180-280 ppm range over ice age cycles during the past 800,000 years.

Climate Change and Society (10 decks)

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