Test your basic knowledge |

Global Warming

Subjects : literacy, science
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. The land-surface configuration that results from the melting of ground ice in a region where permafrost degrades is called Thermokarst.






2. Deep tropics between 15O N and 15 O S are quite rainy on yearly average. In these regions - rising air predominates.






3. x7 smaller - 7m total sea level equivalent.






4. 1. They are the largest contributor to sea level rise 2. Can affect the thermohaline circulation (mainly in Greenland) 3. Are directly connected to climate change






5. Precipitation intensity will rise ___ for every 1 OC of warming.






6. Help darkens the snow and ice surface - increasing the amount of energy that is absorbed.






7. Over the past century what has happened to the Earth's temperature?






8. Top layer of soil that thaws during the summer and freezes again during autumn. - Between 1 and 3 m thick.






9. 85%






10. Clouds 40~90% - Vegetation 10~15%






11. 1. Altimetry survey 2. Time-variable gravity 3. Ice motion + Regional Climate Modeling






12. Set up in 1988 by WMO and UNEP.






13. At the bottom of the ice sheets the temperature doesn't necessarily have to be above 0... it could _____ more easily because of the water






14. Trade winds blow from East to West - Pool of warm water in the west - Meanwhile deep colder water rises up in the Eastern Pacific - The sea level is ~ 50-60 cm higher in Western Pacific (Indonesia) than in the Eastern Pacific (South America/Peru) -






15. Just remember the general direction of the circulation - Rising northern pacific. You start in between Greenland and Europe (youngest water) - Oldest water is in the Pacific Ocean - Salty water> fresh water - Cold Water > Warm Water






16. South polar vortex - Temperatures drop below 80O Celsius in the lower stratosphere - At these temperatures the chemicals in the stratosphere freeze and form Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCS) - These increase the concentration of CFCs in turn destroyi






17. In troposphere = greenhouse warming gas - However - most of it is in the stratosphere.






18. Is defined usually on the basis of the degree of dryness (in comparison to some 'normal' or average amount






19. ~10% of incident solar energy (albedo 90)






20. Number of days that exceed a given temperature






21. The last portion of a glacier grounded to bedrock - after this line there are ice shelves.






22. By contrast reflects only about 7% of solar radiation (Albedo~7%) - absorbing 93%.






23. A thick - floating slab of freshwater ice extending from coast to coast.






24. Much of the Arctic is overlain by snow and sea ice (land ice and sea ice) - It makes warming a much bigger deal in the Arctic






25. The major distinction between the Protocol and the Convention is that while the Convention encouraged industrialized countries to stabilize GHG emissions - the Protocol commits them to do so.






26. Land Based Ecosystems retain ____ CO2.






27. CO2 GHG forcing - H2O - dominant/major GHG






28. The transition of a substance from the solid phase directly to the vapor phase - or vice versa - without passing through an intermediate liquid phase.






29. Holds unique and key information - Are highly interconnected - Respond and drive climate change - Are the largest freshwater reservoirs of the planet - Ice cores tell us that in climate records - nothing is regular and ice sheet plays major role.






30. How often does El Nio occur?






31. Volcanic eruptions - Sunspots - Wobbly Earth






32. When meltwater seeps through a flowing glacier - it can lubricate the base and hasten the glacier's seaward flow.






33. Massive cooldown has allowed colder conditions to persist leading to cfcs stabilizing leading to ozone depletion. Later - more warming will lead to more moisture in the air which will lead to more snowfall!






34. Arctic troposphere is thinner (8-10 km) than the tropics...The depth of the atmospheric layer is much shallower in the Arctic - It takes less energy to warm the Arctic rather than the Tropics - Same as heating an apartment vs. a house






35. Higher temperature increases atmospheric water vapor @ global scale more water vapor in the air that causes nights to stay warmer.






36. Reduction of snow and ice cover - Changes in atmospheric circulation.






37. 240 w/m squared






38. Number of days when temperatures climb above average by a fixed amount.






39. What can cause a change in the Earth's climate balance?






40. Mass balance due to processes that affect the surface of the ice sheet. Precipitation-evapotranspiration-runoff-blowing snow etc...






41. Thawing permafrost weakens coastal lands. Risk of flooding in coastal wetlands. Pollution and toxins locked in the snow and ice will be released.






42. Grounding line is the last portion of a glacier grounded to bedrock - after this line there are ice shelves - Glaciers contribute to sea level rise after passing the grounding line - Maximum thinning at grounding line.






43. Poor resolution (200-400 km) does not allow us to distinguish glaciers and basins.






44. Some parts of the planet are dry because of their location: most of the deserts are around 30 N and 30 S - where sinking air predominates






45. Pollution: heat and sunlight cook the air and the chemical compounds which are in it. This combines with the nitrogen oxide and creates 'smog'. This makes breathing difficult for those with respiratory ailments.






46. Is best viewed as a combination of...- Natural Variability - Associated with atmospheric circulation patterns - Growing Radiative Forcing - Associated with rising concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases - Strongly suggests a human influence.






47. 20% human produced CO2 emissions. Tropical forests hold around 50% of the carbon present in vegetation on Earth.






48. Nitrogen (N2 78%) and Oxygen (O2 21%) - Their linear 2 atom molecular structure






49. Same as heating an apartment v home - Thinner atmosphere than tropics; warms faster.






50. 1. We live in troposphere. Greenhouse gases here warm up the Earth 2. Above stratosphere. The ozone in this layer protects us.