Geology 106 Global WarmingExam on Part I
Name________________________________________________
1. Climate and weather may involve variables such as temperature, precipitation, wind speed and
direction, atmospheric pressure, cloud cover, insolation, relative humidity, drought, and
evaporation, etc. The difference between climate and weather is:
a. Weather is the long record of years to millennia and climate is what occurs in hours to
months
b. Weather is what occurs in hours to months and climate is the long record of years to
millennia
c. Weather includes only quantities like temperature and precipitation while climate
includes only quantities like wind and atmospheric, pressure.
2. The “Goldilocks Zone” for a planet exists where
a. Its orbital distance from its star permits gold to exist in a solid state
b. Its orbital distance from its star is inside the Kuiper Belt
c. Its orbital distance from its star permits water to exist in all three phases
3. Carl Sagan’s Baloney detection Kit provides:
a. Tools for skeptical thinking. Skeptical thinking boils down to the means to construct, and
to understand, a reasoned argument and—especially important—to recognize a
fallacious or fraudulent argument. The question is not whether we like the conclusion
that emerges out of a train of reasoning, but whether the conclusion follows from the
premise or starting point and whether that premise is true.
b. The best arguments supporting current Conspiracy Theories on Climate Change Denial.
c. How to understand the outcomes of CoP26.
4. How does climate forcing differ from climate response?
a. Climate forcing and climate response are the same thing.
b. Climate forcing is a very quick activity but climate response requires thousands of years.
c. Climate forcing requires hundreds of thousands of years and climate response is
virtually instantaneous.
d. Climate forcing is a computer model process and climate response is the result.
e. Climate forcing and climate response and simply cause and effect and may vary in rates.
5. Do positive feedbacks always make the climate warmer?
a. No. In a cooling climate, a positive feedback would enhance cooling.
b. Yes, a positive feedback always causes warming.
6. In the Kelvin, Celsius, and Fahrenheit temperature scales the freezing and boiling points of water
are
a. Kelvin: 0 and 32, Celsius: 32 and 100: Fahrenheit: 32 and 212
b. Kelvin: 273 and 373, Celsius: 0 and 100: Fahrenheit: 32 and 212
c. Kelvin: 0 and 100, Celsius: 0 and 273: Fahrenheit: 32 and 98.6
d. Kelvin: 212 and 373, Celsius: -273 and 373: Fahrenheit: 32 and 212
e. Kelvin: 32 and 212, Celsius: 32 and 1212: Fahrenheit: 0 and 100
7. The difference between a global warming skeptic and a denier is
a. The skeptic will not accept evidence contrary to belief and a denier is waiting for
convincing evidence.
b. The denier knows the truth but finds advantage in denial whereas the skeptic is waiting
for convincing evidence.
c. The skeptic is also known as a conspiracy theorist whereas the denier is a realist
d. The denier is uninformed whereas the skeptic is well-informed but prefers disbelief
e. The skeptic and the denier are uniformed
8. External climate forcing involves
a. Changes in Sun’s strength, changes in glaciation
b. Changes in plate tectonics, changes in vegetation
c. Changes in ice, changes in atmosphere composition
d. Changes in Earth’s orbit, changes in Sun’s strength
e. Changes in atmosphere, changes in oceans
9. Internal climate system interactions include
a. Atmosphere, Ice, Oceans
b. Vegetation, Land surface, Oceans
c. Atmosphere, vegetation, Ice
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
10. Internal climate responses to external forcing include
a. Changes in Earth’s orbit, ice, land surface, vegetation, and oceans
b. Changes in plate tectonics, sea level, oceans, depth of oceans, height of atmosphere
c. Changes in atmosphere, ice, vegetation, oceans, land surface
d. Changes in ice, cosmic radiation, plate tectonics, atmosphere, vegetation
e. Changes in latitude, longitude, Coriolis force, Hadley cells, oceanic gyres
11. Most of Earth’s fresh water is
a. Inaccessible and in the deep oceans
b. Accessible and in the deep oceans
c. In the ground ice and permafrost
d. In lakes
e. In glaciers and ice caps
12. Water occurs in three states on Earth, water vapor, liquid water, and ice. What are the
temperature bounds for the states of water?
a. Water vapor: 100 C and up, ice: 0 C and colder, liquid water: 0 C to 100 C
b. Water vapor 273 C and up, ice: 32 C and colder, liquid water: 32 C and 212 C
c. Water vapor 373 C and up, ice: 273 C and colder. Liquid water: 0 C and 32 C
13. In what ways does climate science differ from traditional sciences such as chemistry and
biology?
a. Climate science focuses only on the atmosphere, its composition, motion, and
temperature whereas chemistry and biology no longer exist and are a new field called
biochemistry.
b. Climate science is a broad topic and actually utilizes and encompasses all the
“traditional” sciences.
c. Climate science is separate from “traditional” sciences and that is why there has been
such controversy about climate change.
d. Climate science has only a few 10s of years of data for research analyses and
conclusions drawn from those analyses are uncertain.
e. It does not differ from traditional sciences.
14. Energy from the Sol that heats Earth arrives mainly in which part of the electromagnetic
spectrum
a. Gamma rays with wavelengths of 0.001 nm
b. X rays with wavelengths of 0.01 nm to 1 nm
c. Visible light with wavelengths of 0.1 μm to 0.7 μm
d. Infrared radiation with wavelengths of 0.7 μm to 8 μm
e. Microwaves with wavelengths of 1 mm to 1 m
f. Radio waves with wavelengths greater than 1 m
15. Greenhouse gases trap and reradiate which part of the electromagnetic spectrum
a. Gamma rays with wavelengths of 0.001 nm
b. X rays with wavelengths of 0.01 nm to 1 nm
c. Visible light with wavelengths of 0.1 μm to 0.7 μm
d. Infrared radiation with wavelengths of 0.7 μm to 8 μm
e. Microwaves with wavelengths of 1 mm to 1 m
f. Radio waves with wavelengths greater than 1 m
16. The first chart of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere
a. Was produced by Joseph Fourier in 1827
b. Was produced by Eunice Newton Foote in 1856
c. Was produced by John Tyndall in 1860
d. Was produced by Charles David Keeling in 1956
e. Was produced by Al Gore in 1992
17. Scientists know that the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere is due to burning of fossil fuels by
analysis of the
a. The ratios of isotopes of oxygen, 18O and 16O
b. The ratios of isotopes of rubidium, 87Rb and 86Rb
c. The ratios of isotopes of carbon, 12C and 14C
d. The ratios of isotopes of uranium, 238U and 235U
e. The ratios of isotopes of lead, 206Pb and 208Pb
18. Winter monsoonal circulation features
a. High pressure over the oceans and low pressure on the land surface
b. Low pressure over the oceans and high pressure on the land surface
c. Flow from the ocean to the land
d. Flow from the land to the ocean
e. a and c
f. b and d
19. Summer monsoonal circulation features
a. High pressure over the oceans and low pressure on the land surface
b. Low pressure over the oceans and high pressure on the land surface
c. Flow from the ocean to the land
d. Flow from the land to the ocean
e. a and c
f. b and d
20. The seasonal thermocline is
a. Primarily in the upper 1 km in the summer
b. Primarily in the 100 m in the summer
c. Primarily in the upper 10 m in the summer
d. Primarily in the upper 1 m in the summer
e. Not found in the tropics
i.
21. The effect of sea ice on climate
a. Insulation of ocean water from cold air when ice is present
b. Insulation of air from cold ocean water when ice is present
22. The rank of carbon reservoirs from largest to smallest is
a. Deep oceans, soils, vegetation, atmosphere, ocean mixed layer, rocks
b. Deep ocean, ocean mixed layer, atmosphere, vegetation, rocks, soils
c. Atmosphere, vegetation, deep ocean, vegetation, ocean mixed layer, soils
d. Rocks, deep ocean, mixed ocean layer, soils, vegetation, atmosphere
e. Rocks, deep ocean, soils, mixed ocean layer, vegetation, atmosphere
23. What different and opposing roles do clouds play in the climate system?
a. Nothing. A cloud is a cloud.
b. Moving clouds move heat while stationary clouds radiate heat
c. Moving clouds move heat while stationary clouds trap heat
d. Clouds trap incoming shortwave radiation which warms the planet, and they reflect
longwave radiation which cool can the planet
e. Clouds trap longwave radiation which warms the planet, and they reflect incoming
shortwave radiation which cool can the planet
24. The structural components of Earth’s atmosphere in order from the ground to the top are
a. Stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, troposphere
b. Mesosphere, thermosphere, troposphere, stratosphere
c. Thermosphere, troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere
d. Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere
e. Lithosphere, troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere
25. Earth’s surface experiences uneven solar radiation because
a. Longwave radiation if refracted toward the equator and away from the poles in the
mesosphere
b. The surface is curved and high latitudes receive more radiation than low latitudes
c. The surface is curved and low latitudes receive less radiation than high latitudes
d. The surface is curved and high latitudes receive less radiation than low latitudes
e. Shortwave radiation is refracted toward the equator and away from the poles
26. Earth has annual seasons because
a. It is closer to the sun during winter
b. It is farther from the sun during summer
c. It is farther from the sun during winter
d. It is closer to the sun during summer
e. It is tilted on its rotational axis
27. The total change in mean daily surface temperature between summer and winter is
a. Greatest over large landmasses and smaller over oceans and small continents
b. Greatest over Antarctica
c. Greatest of Greenland
d. Greatest over oceans and small continents and smaller over large landmasses
e. Greatest at the Equator and smallest at the poles
28. The water vapor content of air
a. Increases with latitude
b. Increases with longitude
c. Increases with altitude
d. Increases with temperature
e. Increases with elevation
29. The average radiation at the top of Earth’s atmosphere in mW per square meter is
a. 6,371
b. -273 W
c. 1,362
d. 340
e. 23.5
30. Latent heat is the energy required to change state, i.e., from solid to liquid and liquid to gas.
Which energy requirement is greater
a. Change from ice to water
b. Change from water to ice
c. Change from liquid to gas
d. Change by 1 decree C at 32 °C
e. Change by 1 degree F at 100 °F
31. Atmosphere motion in a Hadley cell
a. Rises at the poles and sinks at the equator
b. Rises at the equator and sinks at the poles
c. Rises at the equator and sinks at 30 degrees latitude
d. Rises at 30 degrees latitude and sinks at 30 degrees longitude
e. Rises at 60 degrees longitude and sinks at 30 degrees latitude
32. In a winter monsoon
a. Radiation is strong and monsoonal circulation is from the ocean to the land
b. Radiation is weak and monsoonal circulation is from the ocean to the land
c. Radiation is weak and monsoonal circulation is from the land to the ocean
d. Radiation is strong and monsoonal circulation is from the land to the ocean
e. Radiation is weak and monsoonal circulation is parallel to the land-ocean interface
33. Which has greater albedo?
a. Old sea ice
b. Open water
c. Desert
d. Deciduous forest
e. Young sea ice
34. Which two major groups of organisms are most important to climate reconstructions over the
past several million years?
a. Pollen for the marine record and dinosaur bones for the land record
b. Pollen for the land record and shark teeth for the marine record
c. Plankton for the marine record and tree rings for the land record
d. Plankton for the land record and pollen for the marine record
e. Pollen for the land record and plankton for the marine record
35. Models of the atmosphere and ocean are not allowed to interact continuously because
a. They respond at different rates. Oceans change quickly but the atmosphere changes
slowly.
b. They respond at different rates. Oceans change slowly but the atmosphere changes
quickly.
c. Actually they are allowed to interact continuously otherwise there would no predictive
value in them.
d. The response time for oceans leads that for the atmosphere. Thus, if the model does not
use the ocean as the main driving force the model will be invalid.
e. The response time for atmosphere leads that for the oceans. Thus, if the model does not
use the atmosphere as the main driving force the model will be invalid.
36. The two ways climate models are evaluated are
a. Sensitivity tests and climate reconstructions
b. Predicting the future and reconstructing the past
c. Numerically and analytically
d. Fourier series and inversion theory
e. Stochastic and Bayesian analysis
37. Which of the following is true about the climate resolution from sedimentary archives
a. Deep sea sediments are disturbed by earthquakes which stirs them and causes poor
time resolution
b. Deep sea sediments accumulate too slowly to provide a useful record
c. High-energy coastal environments can give high-frequency resolution records
d. Deep sea sediments are undisturbed and provide high-resolution records
e. Lake sediments provide records extending tens of millions of years
38. Which Internet site is Climate Science from Climate Scientists
a. Wattsupwiththat.com
b. Insideclimatenews.org
c. Realclimate.org
39. Which Internet site is an AGW denier site
a. Wattsupwiththat.com
b. Insideclimatenews.org
c. Realclimate.org
40. Heat is transported by both ocean and atmosphere. Which transports more heat
a. Oceans
b. Atmosphere
41. Which is a true statement about ice sheets
a. Ice sheets gain mass in the zone of ablation which lies at below freezing temperatures
b. Ice sheets lose mass in the zone of ablation which lies at above freezing temperatures
42. How is land vegetation (and total biomass) related to global precipitation trends?
a. Vegetation correlates inversely but biomass correlates directly with rainfall
b. Vegetation correlates directly but biomass correlates inversely with rainfall
c. Vegetation and biomass correlate inversely with rainfall
d. Vegetation and biomass correlate directly with rainfall
e. There is no relationship. They are both controlled by elevation.
43. Positive feedbacks would be
a. Move the climate toward warmth
b. Move the climate opposite to forcing
c. Move the climate in concert with forcing
d. Move the climate toward cooling
44. Why does cold deep water form today at higher latitudes?
a. Ocean water always sinks at the poles and rises at the equator
b. Ocean water is driven by the wind where it piles up against Antarctica and Greenland
and has to sink since it cannot flow over the land.
c. Water flowing toward the poles loses salinity by mixing with glacial melt water and
cannot sink to form cold deep water
d. Water flowing poleward tends to be high salinity. When it encounters cold air, its
density increases and it sinks forming Antarctic bottom water and North Atlantic deep
water.
e. Melting ice from Antarctica and Greenland produce cold fresh water that sinks and
flows toward the equator
45. The dominant driving force for Earth’s climate is
a. Solar insolation
b. Ocean circulation
c. Atmosphere circulation
d. The water cycle
e. The greenhouse gases: CO2, CH4, SO2, O3, and CFCs
46. Global warming potential GWP is based on comparison of how much energy the emissions of
one ton of a gas will absorb over a given period of time compared to
a. Water vapor
b. Methane
c. Sulfur dioxide
d. Ozone
e. Carbon dioxide
47. The three most abundant gases in Earths’ atmosphere are:
a. Carbon dioxide
b. Oxygen, Ozone, Olivine
c. Water vapor, oxygen, argon
d. Nitrogen, oxygen, argon
e. Water vapor, methane, nitrogen
48. Climate archives include
a. Biotic proxies
b. Chemical proxies
c. All of the above
d. None of the above
49. The greenhouse effect was first discovered by
a. Al Gore in 1991
b. Charles David Keeling in 1956
c. Roger Revelle in 1957
d. John Tyndall in 1860
e. Joseph Fournier in 1827.
50. The largest reservoir of carbon on Earth is
a. Earths’ atmosphere
b. The deep ocean
c. The ocean mixed layer
d. Vegetation on the continents
e. Soils on the continents
f. Rocks in Earths’ crust