Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology, 11e (Tarbuck)
Chapter 21 Global Climate Change
21.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Which of the following spheres is not part of the climate system?
A) Cryosphere
B) Lithosphere
C) Hydrosphere
D) Biosphere
2) Which of the following best illustrates the connection between climate and geologic
processes?
A) Water coming off a cooling magma emplaces metallic ores
B) Hydrothermal vents near a mid-ocean rift create chimneys of mineral deposits
C) Heavy rainfalls trigger debris flows
D) Arid climates make sea level drop
3) The ________ refers to the ice and snow that exists on the Earth’s surface.
A) Cryosphere
B) Atmosphere
C) Geosphere
D) Biosphere
4) ________ is the study and reconstruction of past climates through the use of proxy data.
A) Climatology
B) Hydrology
C) Glaciology
D) Paleoclimatology
5) Which planktonic marine organism, often found in sea sediments, can be used to make
interpretations about past climates?
A) Foraminifera
B) Coral
C) Fish
D) Algae
6) Why is the use of proxy data necessary when studying past climate change?
A) Modern recording instruments are skewed by pollutants in the atmosphere
B) Modern data has been biased by religious influence or political ideologies
C) Instrumental records only go back a couple of centuries and are more incomplete the older
they are
D) Geological and atmospheric changes occurring at the time work differently than today
7) Which of the following oxygen isotopes is the most common?
A) 16O
B) 17O
C) 18O
8) How can tree rings provide information about past climates?
A) Thickness and spacing of tree rings reflect environmental conditions
B) Tree rings turn colors depending on the climate
C) Tree rings trap gas bubbles that can be used to interpret atmospheric conditions
D) Tree rings can measure past CO2 concentrations
9) What material makes up the shells of many marine microorganisms?
A) NO2
B) CaCO3
C) SiO2
D) NaCl
10) Which of the following can be used as a paleothermometer?
A) Tree rings
B) Pollen
C) Coral
D) Aerosols
11) Which two gases make up the majority of the atmosphere?
A) Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide
B) Neon and Methane
C) Hydrogen and Helium
D) Nitrogen and Oxygen
12) What percentage of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide?
A) 0.0395%
B) 0.152%
C) 1%
D) 5%
13) What percentage of solar radiation is reflected back into outer space by the albedo of the
Earth?
A) 30%
B) 20 %
C) 100%
D) 50%
14) Which of the following is not one of the three paths taken by incoming solar radiation?
A) Radiation passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed by the surface
B) Radiation is deflected by the magnetic field
C) Radiation is reflected back into space by clouds, atmosphere, snow, and ice
D) Radiation is absorbed by clouds and atmospheric gases
15) If the Earth had no atmosphere, what would the average temperature of the planet be?
A) 20°C
B) 5°C
C) -18°C
D) -40°C
16) Which of the following is not part of the Milankovich Cycle?
A) Obliquity
B) Accretion
C) Eccentricity
D) Precession
17) How will explosive volcanic eruptions affect global temperatures?
A) Temperatures will raise
B) Temperatures will lower
C) Temperatures will remain the same
18) The Milankovich Cycle is part of ________ climate change.
A) Natural
B) Astrological
C) Anthropogenic
D) Volcanic
19) The Maunder Minimum occurred at the same time as the ________ and has been used by
some to explain the cooling temperatures during that period.
A) Industrial Revolution
B) Cretaceous Period
C) Medieval Warm Period
D) Little Ice Age
20) How will seasonal changes affect the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere?
A) There will be less CO2 in the atmosphere in winter than in summer
B) The levels of CO2 are constant no matter the season
C) There will be more CO2 in the atmosphere in winter than in summer
21) What was the approximate increase in global temperature during the 20th century?
A) 0.5°C
B) 0.8°C
C) 1.0°C
D) 1.5°C
22) Which of the following trace gases does not contribute to climate change?
A) CFCs
B) Nitrous oxide
C) Krypton
D) Methane
23) Which of the following trace gases is not natural to the atmosphere and is purely the result of
human activities?
A) CFCs
B) Nitrous oxide
C) Krypton
D) Methane
24) What substance is responsible for the increasing concentrations of nitrous oxide in the
atmosphere?
A) Coolants in refrigerators
B) Fertilizers
C) Fossil fuels
D) Nuclear waste
25) Temperature increases in polar regions are going to be ________ than the global average.
A) 5 times less
B) 3-4 times less
C) 2-3 times greater
D) 0.5 times greater
26) How will melting permafrost in polar regions lead to a positive feedback loop?
A) Buried CFCs will be released from contaminants in frozen vegetation
B) Methane will be released as the vegetation thaws
C) Nitrous oxide will be trapped in the meltwater generated and pulled out of the atmosphere
D) Carbon dioxide is sequestered in the water infiltrating the landscape
27) Which process has been largely responsible for increasing the amount of CO2 in the last 200
years?
A) Increasing cattle ranching worldwide
B) Disintegration of petroleum-based plastics
C) Use of industrial fertilizers
D) Burning of fossil fuels
28) What is the source of black carbon aerosols?
A) Petroleum
B) Fires
C) Bacteria
D) Mineral deposits
29) What effect will black carbon deposits have on glacial ice?
A) Black carbon will insulate the ice, preserving it
B) Black carbon will slow the rate of melting
C) Black carbon will absorb more heat, increasing melting
D) Black carbon has no effect on glacial ice
30) How high has sea level risen in the last 100 years?
A) 5-7 cm
B) 10-23 cm
C) 1-2 cm
D) 25-30 cm
31) What will be produced when carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater?
A) Calcium carbonate
B) Sulfuric acid
C) Carbonic acid
D) Sodium chloride
32) Why would increasing acidity of ocean problem be a problem?
A) Acid would dissolve calcium carbonate shells or sea organisms
B) Acid will increase the rate of seafloor spreading
C) Acid decreases the stability of basaltic rocks on the ocean floor
D) Acid would be evaporated and create clouds that precipitate acid rain
21.2 True/False Questions
1) Climate is the state of the atmosphere at a given time in a given place over s short period of
time.
2) The climate system involves energy and moisture exchanges between five Earth spheres.
3) Changes that occur in one part of the climate system are isolated and will have no part on the
remainder of the system.
4) The biosphere is a basic link in the hydrologic cycle.
5) Ice cores taken from glaciers show higher concentrations of 18O in the ice deposited during
colder climates.
6) Glaciers have the ability to record atmospheric composition through time.
7) Nitrogen is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere.
8) Water vapor is a greenhouse gas.
9) Nearly all the energy that drives the Earth’s climate comes from the Sun.
10) The higher temperatures during the Cretaceous Period were the result of the Milankovich
Cycle.
11) The sun emits slightly more solar radiation during a period of high sunspot activity.
12) According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there is a 90-99%
probability that increases in global temperatures are due to the increase in human-generated
greenhouse gases.