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Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, 3e (Withgott)
Chapter 18 Global Climate Change
18.1 Graph and Figure Interpretation Questions
Use Figure 18.1 to answer the following questions.
1) This figure is demonstrating that ________.
A) global warming will increase until 2090, after which it will stabilize
B) Illinois will drift south due to global climate change
C) summer temperatures increase as latitude decreases
D) summer precipitation increases as latitude decreases
E) global climate change alters regional physical characteristics
Answer: E
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.4 Global climate change in present and future
2) The Canadian and Hadley models both demonstrate that Illinois will have ________
throughout the 21st century.
A) stable summer precipitation
B) stable summer temperatures
C) warmer summers
D) wetter summers
E) drier summers
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.4 Global climate change in present and future
1
3) The Canadian and Hadley models differ in that they ________.
A) predict measurably different average summer temperature changes due to global
climate change
B) predict measurably different changes in summer precipitation due to global climate
change
C) measure the effects of global climate change in different regions of the country
D) examine the different time frames for global climate change
E) index the different factors for accessing global climate change
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.4 Global climate change in present and future
18.2 Matching Questions
Match the following.
1) Predominant greenhouse gas
produced by burning fossil
fuels
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.2 Human influences on
climate
2) Produced by microbes
decomposing matter in
landfills
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.2 Human influences on
climate
3) By-product of feedlots,
chemical manufacturing,
auto emissions, and fertilizer
use
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.2 Human influences on
climate
A) carbon dioxide
B) water vapor
C) The Day After Tomorrow
D) ozone
E) ammonia
F) methane
G) nitrous oxide
H) sulfate aerosol
I) biodiesel
J) An Inconvenient Truth
K) argon
4) Most abundant greenhouse
gas
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting
Earth's climate
5) Compound that contributes
to short-term atmospheric
cooling
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting
Earth's climate
2
6) Greenhouse gas that absorbs
the sun's incoming
short‑wave radiation
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting
Earth's climate
7) In 2006-2007 millions of lay
citizens were powerfully
educated about the reality,
evidence and consequences
of global climate change by
the film
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.5 Debate concerning
climate change
1) A
7) J
2) F
3) G
4) B
5) H
6) D
18.3 Short Answer Questions
1) Define the term greenhouse gas and list examples.
Answer: Greenhouse gases absorb infrared radiation released by Earth's surface and later
warm the surface and overlying troposphere by emitting energy. Examples are carbon
dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, ozone, water vapor, and halocarbons.
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
2) Using the environmental properties discussed in this chapter (atmosphere, ocean currents,
pollutants), give specific examples of why protecting the environment often requires
international legislation.
Answer: Global circulation patterns in the atmosphere and oceans mean that chemicals
released into air or water are the problem of all nations, not just those releasing the
chemicals. Because geopolitical boundaries do not conform to patterns of
environmental variation, environmental problems transcend political boundaries and
require international consideration.
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
3) 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.
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
3
4) 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.
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
5) Briefly explain why there can be seasonal variation in carbon dioxide concentrations in the
troposphere.
Answer: Northern Hemisphere vegetation absorbs more carbon during the summer, when it is
more photosynthetically active. Charles Keeling demonstrated this in his Mauna Loa
studies.
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.3 Climate research
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 famine.
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.4 Global climate change in present and future
7) Why is the term greenhouse effect a bit of a misnomer?
Answer: Greenhouses used for growing plants hold heat by preventing warm air from
escaping. Atmospheric greenhouse gases, in contrast, do not trap heat. Instead, they
absorb, transform, and radiate heat. Furthermore, atmospheric changes that affect
Earth's climate are best described as causing climatic changes, rather than strictly
causing global warming. Climatic effects are not limited to increased temperatures.
Changing precipitation patterns , rising seal levels and increased severity of cyclonic
storms are indirectly associated with increased temperatures. Also, changes in climate
are not uniform throughout Earth. Effects may vary by region.
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
8) The greenhouse gas produced by herds of cattle is ________.
Answer: methane
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.2 Human influences on climate
9) ________ act as carbon sinks, and their removal, especially in areas where they are slow to
recover, can reduce the biosphere's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Answer: Forests
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.2 Human influences on climate
4
18.4 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
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.2 Human influences on climate
2) The atmosphere around Earth is warmed because ________.
A) warm air cannot escape, as in a greenhouse
B) molecules in the atmosphere are warmed by radiation from Earth and retain that heat
C) fossil fuels release heat
D) plants absorb CO2
E) plants release CO2
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
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 climatic history of
the planet
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.3 Climate research
4) Of the following greenhouse gases, ________ concentrations have increased the most since
1750.
A) water vapor
B) carbon dioxide
C) nitrous oxide
D) ozone
E) methane
Answer: E
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.3 Climate research
5
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) the main anthropogenic greenhouse gas produced in the United States
E) the only greenhouse gas presently increasing in the atmosphere
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.4 Global climate change in present and future
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 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
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
7) The exceptionally strong warming of the eastern Pacific is referred to as ________.
A) the Coriolis effect
B) La Niña
C) El Niño
D) Eastern Pacific Shallow Water Warming
E) Eastern Pacific Deep Water Warming
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
8) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ________.
A) constructed the Kyoto Protocol
B) performed the research included in the climate change findings
C) is an international panel that concluded that climate change has influenced biomes and
economies
D) fines companies that pollute
E) could not achieve its objectives because of lack of popular support
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
9) Keeling's reports from Mauna Loa demonstrated ________.
A) an increase in 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
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.3 Climate research
6
10) Carbon-based fuels from lithospheric reservoirs ________.
A) have formed slowly over many millions of years
B) is readily lost from Earth's surface in the absence of humans
C) is 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
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.2 Human influences on climate
11) The Kyoto Protocol ________.
A) increased federal funding for controlling greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power
plants
B) required concessions from all countries involved equally 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
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
12) In legislation, the precautionary principle states that ________.
A) caution should be used in handling hazardous wastes
B) lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used to postpone measures to prevent major
environmental degradation
C) alterations to legislation must be done in a way that maximizes environmental
protection at the urging of scientists without recourse from the voting public
D) all alternative sources of energy should be evaluated by the scientific community
before marketing
E) permit trading should be undertaken with caution
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
13) The use of public transportation is ________.
A) higher in the United States compared to Europe
B) increasing rapidly in the face of concerns over climate change
C) subsidized by the U.S. government
D) the best option for decreasing the use of fossil fuels for transportation
E) more expensive than driving a car
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
7
14) Hydrogen fuel cells, biodiesel, hydrogen fuel cells and long-term 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
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
15) Growing rice results in the release of ________ into the atmosphere.
A) methane
B) nitrous oxides
C) ozone
D) carbon dioxide
E) sulfate aerosols
Answer: A
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.2 Human influences on climate
16) Approximately ________% of the typical American city is devoted to use by cars.
A) 10
B) 20
C) 30
D) 40
E) 50
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.2 Human influences on climate
17) El Niño and La Niña ________.
A) both decrease water temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean
B) both increase water temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean
C) both increase water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico
D) occur in precise patterns every 10 years
E) produce changes of opposite direction in global temperature and precipitation patterns
Answer: E
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
18) The greenhouse effect involves warming of Earth's surface and the ________.
A) troposphere
B) mesosphere
C) stratosphere
D) thermosphere
E) ionosphere
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
8
19) As water warms, it ________.
A) increases in density
B) expands
C) sinks
D) dissolves increased amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
E) is irreversibly altered
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.4 Global climate change in present and future
20) 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 and produces fewer greenhouse gases
Answer: E
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
21) Close to ________% of U.S. land is in coastal areas, thus vulnerable to rises in sea level
A) 5
B) 10
C) 15
D) 20
E) 25
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.4 Global climate change in present and future
22) Close to ________% of the fuel you pump into your automobile does not move your vehicle
down the road.
A) 45
B) 55
C) 65
D) 75
E) 85
Answer: E
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
23) Subsidies for mass transit in the United States ________.
A) come mostly from the federal government
B) increase ridership significantly
C) increase the cost of public transportation
D) are mostly from private corporations
E) do not exist
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
9
24) Kyoto is to carbon dioxide as Montreal is to ________.
A) nitrous oxide
B) ozone
C) methane
D) chlorofluorocarbons
E) carbon monoxide
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
25) In the wake of the U.S. failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol ________.
A) many nations have severed diplomatic relations with the U.S.
B) cities and states are setting their own programs for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
C) the U.S. 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 U.S.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
26) The most recent analyses of polar ice cores have given us the ability to profile global climate
change back as far as ________ years.
A) 750,000
B) 100,000
C) 1000
D) 50,000
E) 300,000,000
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.3 Climate research
27) Recent evidence from polar ice core analysis shows that carbon dioxide levels have never
exceeded ________ ppm in the last several hundred thousand years
A) 500
B) 1000
C) 25
D) 300
E) 200
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.3 Climate research
18.5 True/False Questions
1) The greenhouse effect is a new term for describing the impact of humans on Earth's climate.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
2) Coal use in the United States accounts for most greenhouse gas emissions.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.2 Human influences on climate
10
3) Major volcanic eruptions and the aerosols they release contribute to short-term warming of
Earth's climate.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
4) Removal of forests reduces Earth's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
5) Approximately 53% of the U.S. population lives in coastal areas.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.4 Global climate change in present and future
6) Fossil fuel combustion presently supplies over 70% of U.S. electricity.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.4 Global climate change in present and future
7) The greatest temperature increases from global climate change will be felt at the equator.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.4 Global climate change in present and future
18.6 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 patterns and intensity. Scientists debate some
of the exact mechanisms 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 cast doubt on scientific findings. Furthermore, some greenhouse skeptics 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.
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.5 Debate concerning climate change
11
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 degrees, most tropical and subtropical areas
will likely see decreased crop production, and farmlands in midlatitudes may begin to
see significant declines. Conversely, warmer temperatures could potentially lead to
longer growing seasons and increase agricultural productivity at higher latitudes.
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.
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.5 Debate concerning climate change
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.
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.4 Global climate change in present and future
4) Explain the NADW in the context of global climate change.
Answer: The North Atlantic Deep Water Circulation Pattern is a sort of conveyor belt that
moves water and heat from the equatorial zones northward, carrying heat to higher
latitudes in the Atlantic Ocean, thus moderating Europe's climate. Recently, scientists
have realized that interrupting the NADW could trigger climate change. If global
warming causes large portions of the Greenland ice sheet to melt, freshwater runoff
into the North Atlantic would increase. Surface waters would become less dense from
the dilution and warming because warm freshwater is less dense than cold saltwater.
This could stop the northward flow of warm equatorial water, whereby the entire
North Atlantic region, including much of Europe, could cool rapidly as a result.
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.1 Factors affecting Earth's climate
12
5) How can scientists learn about 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 700,000
years ago, while sediment, charcoal and other plant remains give data about more
recent times.
Diff: 3
Objective: 18.3 Climate research
18.7 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 precluded older
power plants from modernizing, 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) The United States should enact laws slowing global climate change because ________.
A) it is the most populous nation on Earth
B) its industry supports the legislation
C) it is the major source of the problem
D) global climate change effects are most significant there
E) no other nations have initiated efforts to slow global climate change
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
13
2) Environmentalists 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 favor the precautionary principle
C) most are Cornucopians
D) most live in areas most affected by global climate change
E) they favor anthropogenic principles
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
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
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
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
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
5) The Clear Skies Initiative may have helped somewhat with the problem of global climate
change because it would have ________.
A) prohibited importation of goods from nations that pollute
B) permitted the purchase of "wind certificates"
C) required reduced nitrogen oxide emissions
D) provided subsidies for renewable energy
E) required reduced carbon dioxide emissions
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
14
6) Portfolio standards ________.
A) are opposed by most environmentalists, including Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
B) require government subsidies to be effective
C) hinder economic development
D) usually result in less‑reliable electricity generation
E) support alternative energy use
Answer: E
Diff: 2
Objective: 18.6 Response to climate change
15