Geology 106 Global WarmingExam on Part II Select the correct answer.
1. The fact that the average amount of solar radiation on the planets varies inversely as the square
of distance from the sun means that
a. Venus receives more radiation than Mercury
b. Mars receives more radiation than Earth
c. Earth receives more radiation than Venus
d. Earth receives more radiation than Mars
e. The size of the planet matters more so distance is unimportant.
2. The Faint Young Sun Paradox is
a. Solar luminosity was 25% lower in the past but Earth was not continuously frozen
b. Solar luminosity was 25% higher in the past but Earth experienced a Snowball phase 700
MY ago.
c. Solar luminosity is 25% higher than in the past but Earth was not continuously frozen
d. Solar luminosity is 25% lower than in the past but Earth experienced a Snowball phase
700 My ago.
e. a and c
f. c and d
3. Long-term climate change is documented by data from of marine organisms that contain climate
composed of
a. CaCO3
b. SiO2
c. Ch4
d. CO2
e. a and b
f. c and d
4. The three hypotheses to explain long-term climate change are
a. Gaia, Faint Young Sun, Nebulae
b. Gaia, BLAG, Polar Position
c. Polar Position, Uplift and Weathering, BLAG
d. Uplift and Weathering, Vine and Matthews, Gaia
e. BLAG, Vine and Matthews, Nebulae
5. Paleomagnetic data preserved in high magnetic susceptibility rocks indicate that the south pole
was once located in northern Africa
a. 350 my ago
b. 1000s of years ago
c. 10,000s of years ago
d. 100,000s of years ago
e. 450 my ago
6. Plate tectonics is responsible for volcanic emissions of CO2
a. At oceanic ridges
b. At convergent plate boundaries
c. At hot spots
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
7. The part of Earths’ mantle that is semi-solid and flows at a few cm per year is
a. the thermocline
b. the lithosphere
c. the oceanic crust
d. the asthenosphere
e. the continental crust
8. Uplift and weathering drives
a. Global cooling by removing CO2 from the atmosphere
b. Global warming by removing CO2 from the atmosphere
c. Global cooling by adding CO2 to the atmosphere
d. Global warming by adding CO2 to the atmosphere
9. The most abundant element in Earth’s crust is
a. Carbon
b. Dilithium
c. Europium
d. Oxygen
e. Plutonium
10. The atmosphere content of CO2 is measured in.
a. Microwatts per cubic meter
b. Uranium equivalents
c. Parts per thousand
d. Parts per million
e. Parts per billion
11. The atmosphere content of CH4 is measured in.
a. Microwatts per cubic meter
b. Uranium equivalents
c. Parts per thousand
d. Parts per million
e. Parts per billion
12. The Gaia Hypothesis is that
a. Life has played a role in physical and chemical weathering processes
b. Individual life-forms regulate their own evolution for the greater benefit of all life on the
planet.
c. Advanced equations are on the fundamental laws of physics, fluid motion, and
chemistry are inapplicable to life
d. a and b
e. a and c
f. b and c
13. GCM stands for.
a. Global climate models
b. Global calculation models
c. General circulation models
d. Geochemical concentration models
e. All of the above
14. 100 my ago the planet was about 15 °C warmer than it is now due to
a. The sun’s luminosity being greater
b. Higher spreading rates of the oceanic ridges
c. Lack of ice at the poles
d. The oceans were ice-free and had much lower albedo
e. All of the above
f. None of the above
15. Which of the hypotheses for the cause of long-term climate change explains the least about past
climate?
a. Uplift and Weathering
b. Polar Position
c. BLAG
16. Polar temperatures at 100 my ago were higher by
a. 40 °C in the Arctic and 20 °C in the Antarctic
b. 40 °C in the Antarctic and 20 °C in the Arctic
c. 40 °C in the Antarctic and the Arctic
d. 20 °C in the Antarctic and the Arctic
17. “Snowball Earth” ended because.
a. The sun increased luminosity.
b. Volcanic eruptions of CO2 change the heat balance of the planet.
18. Which is true?
a. Without greenhouse gases Earth’s temperature would be -32 F.
b. Without greenhouse gases Earth’s temperature would be 15 C.
c. Without greenhouse gases Earth’s temperature would be 212 F.
d. Without greenhouse gases Earth’s temperature would be – 16 C.
e. Without greenhouse gases Earth’s temperature would be -273 C.
19. The Keeling Curve shows that the content of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by how much
from 1958 to the present?
a. 280 ppm
b. 314 ppm
c. 416 ppm
d. 136 ppm
e. 102 ppm
20. Climate change has been the driver of at least five mass extinction events on Earth. The cause of
those climate changes was
a. Imbalance in predator-prey ratios
b. Human activity
c. Formation of ocean basins
d. Changes in atmosphere composition
e. That did not happen, it is a hoax
21. Sea level changes due to plate tectonics occur on time scales of
a. 1,000s of years
b. 10,000s of years
c. 10s of millions of years
d. annually
e. This is not possible; sea level is constant.
22. Geologic data show that global sea levels were highest in the
a. Paleocene, Triassic, and Devonian
b. Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Permian
c. Cretaceous, Carboniferous, and Ordovician
d. Triassic, Neogene, and Silurian
e. Cambrian, Ordovician, and Silurian
23. The six sedimentary sequences of North America were periods when
a. Marine regressions occurred and the land was exposed and eroded
b. Marine transgressions occurred and sedimentary deposits accumulate on the continent
24. The cause of global marine regression and transgression was
a. Change in the atmosphere content of greenhouse gases
b. Change in the patterns of ocean circulation
c. Change in the rate of atmospheric circulation
d. Change is global temperature
e. Change in the rate of sea floor spreading
25. Collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia caused
a. A drop in global sea level
b. A rise in global sea level
c. No change in sea level because it was balanced
26. Cooling of Earth’s climate during the past 50 my was
a. 1.5 °C
b. 20 °C
c. 40 °C
d. 15 °C
27. The geological archives show evidence of glacial periods
a. Four times during the past 500 my
b. Six times during the past 500 my
c. Five times during the past 300 my
d. Eight times during the past 300 my
28. What is the evidence that what is now Arctic Canada had a warm climate 60 my ago?
a. The magnetic poles have reversed
b. What is now Arctic Canada was an island at the equator called Hockey East
c. Fossil assemblages associated with warm climate
d. Fossil assemblages associated with cold climates
29. The estimated temperature change during the past 50 my for North America is
a. 15 °C
b. -16 °C
c. -2.5 °C
d. 25 °C
e. -25 °C
30. Evidence shows that trees now living in Argentina lived in Antarctica how many years ago?
a. 20,000
b. 100,000
c. 3,000,000
d. 30,000,000
e. 30,000,000,000
31. Oxygen isotopes have atomic masses of
a. 16 and 13
b. 16 and 14
c. 16 and 15
d. 16 and 17
e. 16 and 18
32. Oxygen isotope ratios are proxies for paleotemperatures because
a. Higher temperatures make the relative amounts closer
b. Higher temperatures make the relative amounts farther apart
c. Lower temperatures make the relative amounts closer
d. Lower temperatures make the relative amounts farther apart
e. a and b
f. a and c
g. a and d
h. b and c
i. b and d
j. c and d
33. Oxygen isotope ratios vary because the lighter isotope is more easily evaporated and more
easily extracted from sea water by organisms that make their shells of CaCO3
a. T
b. F
34. Positive delta O18 indicates
a. Warmer temperature
b. Colder temperature
35. Magnesium/calcium ratios in foraminifera shells
a. Show a positive correlation with delta O18
b. Show an inverse correlation with delta O18
36. Positive changes in delta O18 recoded in benthic foraminifera shells indicate
a. Cooling of the deep ocean and growth of ice sheets on the continents
b. Cooling of the deep ocean and shrinking of ice sheets on the continents
c. Warming of the deep ocean and growth of ice sheets on the continents
d. Warming of the deep ocean and shrinking of ice sheets on the continents
37. The threshold concentrations for glaciation in the Arctic and Antarctic are
a. 280 ppm for the Arctic and 315 ppm for the Antarctic
b. 280 ppm for the Arctic and 416 ppm for the Antarctic
c. 750 ppm for the Arctic and 280 ppm for the Antarctic
d. 500 ppm for the Arctic and 315 ppm for the Antarctic
e. 280 ppm for the Arctic and 750 ppm for the Antarctic]
38. Why is Venus so much warmer than Earth today?
a. Venus’s atmosphere is 90 times as dense as Earth’s.
b. Venus’s atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide
c. Solar insolation on Venus is nearly twice that of Earth
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
39. What climate factors affect the removal of carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere?
a. Precipitation and temperature
b. Latitude and Longitude
c. Lunar phase
d. Monsoon season
40. Does each lithospheric plate correspond to an individual continent or ocean basin?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Yes for continents, no for ocean basins
d. Yes for ocean basins, no for continents
41. Which is true?
a. Earth’s magnetic poles flip polarity, but remain at the rotational axes
b. Earth’s magnetic poles drift in the Arctic, but not in the Antarctic
c. Earth’s magnetic poles flip polarity and drift
42. The central concept behind the BLAG hypothesis is
a. There was no permanent ice at the poles during the Cretaceous period
b. Gondwanaland was always located at the Equator
c. Gondwanaland was always located at the South Pole
d. Climate change is driven by changing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and
oceans by plate tectonics
e. Orbital cycles control Earth’s climate
43. Past rates of sea floor spreading are determined by
a. Measuring the distance between magnetic reversals recorded in oceanic crust
b. Measuring the time between magnetic reversals recorded in oceanic crust
c. Age dates of the changes in delta O18
d. a and b
e. a and c
f. b and c
44. Geophysicists can determine the latitude a rock was at when it became magnetize by measuring
its
a. Horizontal magnetic intensity
b. Vertical magnetic intensity
c. Total magnetic intensity
d. Magnetic declination
e. Magnetic inclination
45. Mismatches between climate models and geologic observations can be due to
a. Lack of information for the models
b. Recrystallization of planktic tests at the bottom of the ocean
c. Both a and b
d. Neither a nor b
46. The period when the Earth cooled from a greenhouse to an icehouse state was the
a. Paleocene
b. Cambrian
c. Jurassic
d. Tertiary
e. Mesozoic
47. Global sea level fluctuations are determined from
a. Sedimentary deposits on the land
b. Sedimentary deposits in lakes
c. Sedimentary deposits in the shallow oceans
d. Sedimentary deposits in the deep oceans
e. Ice cores
48. The largest mass extinction occurred during the
a. Silurian
b. Cretaceous
c. Devonian
d. Permian-Triassic
e. Triassic-Jurassic
49. Glacial periods correlate with
a. Lower sea levels
b. Higher sea levels
50. The scientists who studied oxygen isotopes and produced the proxy record of polar glaciations
are
a. Tyndall and Keeling
b. Lovelock and Margulis
c. Vine and Matthews
d. Lisecki and Raymo