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Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, 5e (Withgott)
Chapter 18 Global Climate Change
18.1 Graph and Figure Interpretation Questions
Use the accompanying figure to answer the following questions.
1) The best fit between observed and model data is shown by the model that ________.
A) incorporates only natural factors
B) incorporates observed global temperature changes
C) incorporates both natural and anthropogenic factors
D) reflects both observed and predicted temperature changes
E) emphasizes natural factors over anthropogenic factors
Answer: C
Section: 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
2) On average, how much warmer were global temperatures in the year 2000 than temperatures
predicted by the climate change model that incorporates only natural factors?
A) Average global temperatures were about the same as temperatures predicted by the model.
B) 0.2C
C) 0.6C
D) 0.8C
E) 1.0C
Answer: C
Section: 18.3
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Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
3) If anthropogenic factors continue to increase, then in the future ________.
A) the lines for all three models should level out
B) all of the lines will look more like the line for observed data
C) the lines for all three models should show decreases while the observation line would be
expected to increase
D) the temperature trends shown in the figures should continue
E) the lines for all three models and for observed data should show marked decreases
Answer: D
Section: 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
18.2 Matching Questions
Match the following.
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)
G)
H)
I)
J)
K)
argon
methane
The Day After Tomorrow
water vapor
ozone
ammonia
carbon dioxide
biodiesel
An Inconvenient Truth
sulfate aerosol
nitrous oxide
1) Predominant greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels
Answer: G
Section: 18.1, 18.2, 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
2) Produced by microbes decomposing matter in landfills and swamps
Answer: B
Section: 18.1, 18.2, 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
3) By-product of feedlots, chemical manufacturing, and fertilizer use
Answer: K
Section: 18.1, 18.2, 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
4) Most abundant greenhouse gas
Answer: D
Section: 18.1, 18.2, 18.3
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Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
5) Compound that contributes to short-term atmospheric cooling
Answer: J
Section: 18.1, 18.2, 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
6) Stratospheric greenhouse gas that absorbs the sun's incoming short-wave radiation
Answer: E
Section: 18.1, 18.2, 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
7) In 2006-2007, millions of lay citizens were powerfully educated about the reality, evidence
and consequences of global climate change by the film
Answer: I
Section: 18.1, 18.2, 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
18.3 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) The largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the United States is ________,
followed by ________.
A) agriculture; transportation
B) electricity generation; agriculture
C) electricity generation; industry
D) electricity generation; transportation
E) agriculture; electricity generation
Answer: D
Section: 18.1
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
2) The Earth's atmosphere can cause global warming because ________.
A) warm air cannot escape, as in a greenhouse
B) molecules in the atmosphere trap heat radiated from the Earth's surface
C) fossil fuels release heat
D) plants absorb CO2
E) plants release CO2
Answer: B
Section: 18.1
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
3) Earth's climate ________.
A) has been stable over the history of the planet
B) is changing as a result of natural and human processes
C) will stabilize over the next century, according to the predictions of most scientists
D) has been documented to have changed once due to the evolution of green photosynthesizing
plants
E) history is undeterminable because there is no method of studying the climatic history of the
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planet
Answer: B
Section: 18.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
4) Of the following greenhouse gases, which one has experienced the greatest percentage
increase since 1750?
A) water vapor
B) carbon dioxide
C) nitrous oxide
D) ozone
E) methane
Answer: E
Section: 18.1
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
5) Carbon dioxide is ________.
A) the most potent (per molecule of gas) of the greenhouse gases
B) the most abundant greenhouse gas
C) more potent (per molecule of gas) than methane
D) produced during the combustion of fossil fuels
E) the only greenhouse gas presently increasing in the atmosphere
Answer: D
Section: 18.1
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
6) Milankovitch cycles ________.
A) refer to shifts in the temperature of surface water in the middle latitudes of the Pacific Ocean
B) are changes in Earth's rotation about its axis and orbit around the sun that may trigger climate
variation
C) describe the timing of the northern lights in the thermosphere
D) describe the transpiration, evaporation, and precipitation of Earth's water
E) describe upwelling and downwelling in the ocean
Answer: B
Section: 18.1
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
7) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is an international panel that ________.
A) constructed the Kyoto Protocol
B) performed the research included in the climate change findings
C) reports on how climate change influences wildlife, ecosystems, and society
D) fines companies that pollute
E) could not achieve its objectives because of lack of popular support
Answer: C
Section: 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
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8) Keeling's reports from Mauna Loa demonstrated ________.
A) an increase in tropospheric CO2 from the 1950s to present
B) that sediments deposited on the seafloor can yield clues about past climates
C) that as distances from cities decreased, CO2 concentrations increased
D) that CO2 levels have been stable over the last 40 years
E) the presence of El Niño
Answer: A
Section: 18.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
9) Carbon-based fuels from lithospheric reservoirs ________.
A) have been slowly sequestered over many millions of years
B) are readily lost from Earth's surface in the absence of humans
C) are formed from the deposition, partial decay, and compression of inorganic matter
D) cannot be lost to the atmosphere by human processes once stabilized on Earth's surface
E) will be lost before the end of the decade
Answer: A
Section: 18.1
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
10) The Kyoto Protocol ________.
A) increased federal funding for controlling greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants
B) required equal concessions from all countries involved in greenhouse gas emission
C) required increases in nuclear power generation
D) would have resulted in overall increases in greenhouse emissions
E) was intended to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels lower than those of 1990
Answer: E
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
11) Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the increased flux of carbon into the
atmosphere has been primarily due to ________.
A) burning of fossil fuels
B) deforestation
C) desertification
D) addition of fertilizers to the soil
E) addition of phosphate in detergents
Answer: A
Section: 18.1
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
12) The use of public transportation is ________.
A) higher in the United States than in Europe
B) increasing rapidly in the face of concerns over climate change
C) subsidized by the U.S. government
D) one option for decreasing the use of fossil fuels for transportation
E) more expensive than driving a car
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Answer: D
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
13) Hydrogen fuel cells, biodiesel, and long-range electric batteries are potential solutions to
A) reducing carbon emissions from cars and trucks
B) carbon sequestration
C) cap-and-trade emission control
D) replacing coal as a major fuel for generating electricity
E) cutting back the carbon emissions from hydroelectric plants
Answer: A
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
14) Growing rice results in the release of ________ into the atmosphere.
A) methane
B) sulfur oxides
C) ozone
D) carbon dioxide
E) sulfate aerosols
Answer: A
Section: 18.1, 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
15) What is a growing concern related to sea-level rise?
A) eroding shorelines in coastal areas
B) fish migrating earlier than usual
C) vanishing land near lakes and rivers
D) deforestation as salt in the atmosphere increases
E) migrating birds as salt in the atmosphere increases
Answer: A
Section: 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
16) The greenhouse effect involves warming of Earth's surface and the ________.
A) troposphere
B) mesosphere
C) stratosphere
D) thermosphere
E) ionosphere
Answer: A
Section: 18.1
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
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17) Hydroelectric power generation ________.
A) produces high quantities of greenhouse gases
B) has no undesirable environmental effects
C) produces pollutants that contribute significantly to acid precipitation
D) uses fuel cells to generate electricity
E) is an alternative to fossil fuels that produces fewer greenhouse gases
Answer: E
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
18) Approximately ________% of U.S. citizens live in coastal counties and are thus vulnerable
to storm surges and a rise in sea level.
A) 95
B) 83
C) 53
D) 20
E) 10
Answer: C
Section: 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
19) Approximately ________% of the fuel you pump into your automobile does something other
than move your vehicle down the road.
A) 65-75
B) 55-65
C) 35-45
D) 20-25
E) 85-90
Answer: E
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
20) Impacts of global warming include all of the following except ________.
A) rising sea levels
B) more extreme weather
C) decrease in mortality because winter is warmer
D) more human illness
E) shifting species ranges
Answer: C
Section: 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
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21) In the wake of the U.S. failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, ________.
A) many nations have severed diplomatic relations with the United States
B) cities and states are setting their own programs for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
C) the United States has shown that it is a leader in carbon emission reduction without having
signed the Protocol
D) dozens of other nations pulled out of the Protocol
E) oil exporting nations have refused to sell to the United States
Answer: B
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
22) The most recent analyses of polar ice cores have given us the ability to profile global climate
change back as far as ________ years.
A) 800,000
B) 100,000
C) 1000
D) 50,000
E) 300,000,000
Answer: A
Section: 18.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
23) Recent evidence from polar ice core analysis shows that, until now, carbon dioxide levels
have never exceeded ________ ppm in the last 800,000 years.
A) 500
B) 1000
C) 25
D) 300
E) 200
Answer: D
Section: 18.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
24) Recent research indicates that the variation in solar output ________.
A) is the major factor driving temperature change
B) is greater than all the anthropogenic factors affecting climate change
C) has a radiative force of 20 watts/m2
D) is less than any of the anthropogenic factors affecting climate change
E) will increase by a hundredfold over then next century
Answer: D
Section: 18.1
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
25) The 2009 Copenhagen Conference ________.
A) produced a multinational treaty to limit carbon emissions
B) created an international fund to promote climate research
C) failed to produce a treaty because the United States failed to support it and China refused
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international monitoring for promised steep cuts
D) was unable to pass any resolution because 20 developed nations refused to accept the
scientific premises of global climate change
E) failed to provide any help to developing nations for mitigation and adaptation efforts
Answer: C
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
26) The U.S. Senate has so far opposed emissions reductions on the grounds that ________.
A) no other nations have pledged reductions
B) the United States does not emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases
C) President Obama rejected the scientific basis of global climate change
D) it might hurt the economy
E) the United States already has reduced its emissions by 68% as agreed in the Copenhagen
treaty
Answer: D
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
27) Tuvalu and the Maldives are in the international spotlight because they ________.
A) may be among the first nations to be completely flooded by rising sea levels
B) are accepting climate change refugees from other nations
C) have exceeded the emissions reductions set by the Kyoto Protocol
D) are the largest emissions producers in their respective areas
E) opposed China's proposals for global carbon neutrality at the Copenhagen Conference in 2009
Answer: A
Section: 18.3, 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
28) Which of the following are market mechanisms for addressing climate change?
A) international treaties from global conferences
B) carbon taxes and fee-and-dividend benefits
C) cap-and-trade and carbon offsets
D) mitigation and adaptation
E) carbon neutrality and carbon aggression policies
Answer: C
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
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18.4 Essay Questions
1) How certain are scientists that humans are causing global climate change? Describe the
language used by scientists and some of the particular climate trends they have identified as
changing. If the scientific community is convinced of the evidence, why is there still debate?
Answer: Nearly all environmental scientists agree that Earth's atmosphere and climate are
changing. Most environmental scientists have concluded that human activity, particularly the
emission of greenhouse gases, is the primary reason for this change. Scientists express
conclusions as probabilities, so reports are often written in language that the lay public may
interpret as uncertain. Particular climate trends include changes in surface temperature, snow and
ice cover, rising sea level and warmer oceans, and alterations to precipitation intensity and
patterns. Scientists debate some of the exact mechanisms, how the mechanisms interact in
making predictive models, and extent of the effects of global climate change on humans. The
debate continues over how to address climate change in political and economic arenas. There is
sometimes discourse among scientists, economists, business leaders, policymakers, and others
over these issues because some critics of global climate change have a vested interest in
continuing the widespread use of fossil fuels, and they may purposively cast doubt on scientific
findings. Furthermore, some greenhouse skeptics and scientists are funded by industries such as
the coal, petroleum, and auto industries that benefit from fossil fuel use. Some of these "skeptics
for hire" have considerable sway over policymakers, particularly in the United States. Finally,
there is continuing confusion, often in popular media, between short-term "weather" events and
the long-term processes of climate change. So, for example, an unusually cold winter in some
areas is often reported as a contradiction to scientific evidence for anthropogenic factors
contributing to global climate change.
Section: 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
2) Explain how climate change can affect agriculture and forestry.
Answer: The overall effect of a warmer climate on agricultural productivity is difficult to predict
because the effect will vary regionally. Productivity might increase in some areas and decrease in
others. Some croplands already stressed by heat and water availability could be pushed beyond
their ability to produce food. If average temperatures increase by more than a few where they
have not been seen before, most tropical and subtropical areas will likely see decreased crop
production, and farmlands in mid-latitudes may begin to see significant declines. Conversely,
warmer temperatures could potentially lead to longer growing seasons and increase agricultural
productivity at higher latitudes. In addition, temperate areas that begin to experience a more
subtropical climate may see the invasion of more tropical crop pests into regions that have not
experienced them before. Plants need warmth and carbon to grow. Forests may become more
productive because additional carbon dioxide can act as a fertilizer. The frequency and intensity
of drought and forest fires could increase. Forest communities could in general move northward
and upward in elevation as temperature and moisture levels change. Finally, both agricultural
and forest systems may experience changes in pollinator populations which could affect the
abundance and distribution of many plant species.
Section: 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
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3) Describe how freshwater ecosystems face challenges of global climate change. Give an
example from the text.
Answer: In regions where climate change increases precipitation and stream flow, erosion and
flooding could threaten the structure and function of aquatic systems. Where human activities
have altered the landscape, flooding could bring increased pollution. In regions where
precipitation decreases, water bodies could shrink, affecting organisms in these habitats, as well
as human health and well-being. The Maldives are likely to suffer from water-related stresses
because their human population is expanding, and rising sea levels are threatening to bring
saltwater into the nation's wells. Also, low-lying coastal wetlands, such as the Florida Everglades
and Gulf coast marshlands, will very likely make a transition either to brackish water ecosystems
or even marine ecosystems as seal levels rise.
Section: 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
4) How can scientists learn about Earth's climatic history?
Answer: Scientists can directly measure gases known to change climate. They also can use
models such as coupled general circulation models. They can drill into Earth's ice caps and
glaciers to extract cores of ice, which contain trapped air bubbles of the ancient atmosphere.
Atmospheric gases, temperature trends, precipitation, and solar activity can be determined from
these bubbles. Scientists also collect cones of sediments at lake bottoms, which contain pollen
and other plant remnants that can indicate regional climate. Plant fossils of cones, tree stems, and
bark indicate vegetational and climatological history of local areas. Charcoal indicates where
forest fires may have occurred. Ice core analysis has given information about climate more than
800,000 years ago, while sediment, charcoal, and other plant remains give data about more
recent times.
Section: 18.2
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
5) Distinguish between the terms weather and climate, and briefly discuss how each affects
species distribution within ecosystems.
Answer: Weather describes short-term atmospheric conditions such as temperature, moisture
content, wind, precipitation, barometric pressure, solar radiation, and other characteristics.
Climate is an area's long-term pattern of atmospheric conditions. Weather can cause annual
changes in population size, but climate tends to have a much larger and longer-term influence
over geographic distribution of organisms. Confusion of these two concepts leads to a great deal
of public misconception about the nature of global climate change. Thus, a cold winter in New
England may be reported as proof that global climate change is not a valid concept, or an
unusually hot summer may exaggerate the long-term processes of climate change.
Section: 18.1
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
6) Explain how human health may suffer or benefit from global climate change.
Answer: People may face increased likelihood of exposure to some health risks due to global
climate change. These risks include heat stress, infectious diseases resulting from flooding and
failed sewage systems, the movement of disease vectors such as malarial mosquitoes into new
warmer and wetter areas, and injuries due to increased storm frequency and intensity. A warmer
world might, however, present fewer cold-related diseases and injuries such as hypothermia and
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famine. Then, there are the obvious health problems that will arise as agriculture and water
supplies gradually fail in some populated areas producing refugees and the logistics of supplying
them with basic health crises such providing food, water, and medical treatment.
Section: 18.3
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
7) Briefly explain why water vapor may either contribute to or slow global warming.
Answer: If temperatures continue to rise, the oceans and other water bodies could transfer
increasingly more water vapor into the atmosphere. This positive feedback could amplify the
greenhouse effect. Alternatively, increased atmospheric water vapor could increase cloudiness,
which could slow global warming by reflecting more incoming solar radiation back into space.
Section: 18.1
Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
8) Why is the concept of radiative forcing critical to understanding the causes of global climate
change?
Answer: Radiative forcing is the amount of change in thermal energy units (watts/square meter
on the Earth's surface) caused by a given factor. This allows a quantitative scientific evaluation
of the many variables that make up the equation of Earth's heat balance. The variables include
solar output, ocean absorption, ocean circulation, changes in albedo, Milankovitch cycles,
aerosols, and anthropogenic factors. Positive values indicate a warming effect, while negative
values have a cooling effect. This analytical approach strengthens the scientific conclusions
drawn about the relative importance of each variable contributing to climate change.
Section: 18.1
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
18.5 Scenario-Based Questions
Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that physical, biological, and
economic evidence exists confirming global climate change due to human-produced greenhouse
gases. Although the United States emits most of Earth's carbon dioxide, its policies do not reflect
concern over its environmental effects. The United States failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, an
international agreement signed by other developed nations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Requested voluntary reductions of carbon dioxide emissions have not been effective in reducing
greenhouse gases. Revisions to the 1970 Clean Air Act, called the "Clear Skies Initiative," were
proposed to limit mercury, nitric oxides, and sulfur oxide emissions from power plants.
Nicknamed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as the "Clear Lies Initiative," this proposal did not
specifically address emission of carbon dioxide, and its loopholes excluded older power plants
from having to modernize, seemingly supporting pollutive industries with political influence.
Environmentalists are arguing for immediate action, including stricter laws to limit power plant
carbon dioxide emissions and subsidies for renewable energy. They favor "portfolio standards,"
requiring electric companies to provide clean energy alternatives to consumers and "green tags,"
"wind certificates," and "green pricing" to support the use of alternative fuels.
1) It can be argued that the United States should enact laws slowing global climate change
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because ________.
A) the United States is the most populous nation on Earth
B) U.S. industry supports the legislation
C) the United States is a major source of the problem
D) global climate change effects are most significant in the United States
E) no other nations have initiated efforts to slow global climate change
Answer: C
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
2) Environmentalists and scientists advocate immediate intervention regarding global climate
change because ________.
A) they are concerned about the global economic losses sustained due to global climate change
B) they fear the consequences of inaction caused by lack of full scientific certainty
C) most are Cornucopians
D) most live in areas most affected by global climate change
E) they favor anthropogenic principles
Answer: B
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
3) One factor contributing to U.S. resistance to legal intervention regarding global climate
change is ________.
A) lack of scientific evidence supporting global climate change
B) political influence of the petroleum, coal, and automobile industries
C) the success of voluntary reductions of carbon dioxide emissions by U.S. power plants
D) lack of support from other developed nations around the world
E) the precautionary principle
Answer: B
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
4) Why do environmentalists and scientists advocate immediate action, including stricter laws to
limit power plant carbon dioxide emissions and subsidies for renewable energy?
A) No laws currently exist to regulate these industries.
B) Environmentalists do not want to anger farmers, even though agriculture produces the most
carbon dioxide.
C) Power companies do not have labor unions that oppose legal restrictions.
D) These industries export goods to all other nations on Earth.
E) These industries produce the most greenhouse gases.
Answer: E
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
5) Which of the following is an alternative fuel supported by environmentalists that would
decrease carbon dioxide production in transportation?
A) gasoline
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B) compressed natural gas
C) coal
D) nuclear fuel rods
E) vaporized water
Answer: B
Section: 18.4
Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
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