Feedback Loops

Front

A glacier begins to melt due to rising temperatures. As more ice melts, less sunlight is reflected by the Earth’s surface, which absorbs more heat and leads to further warming. Describe this feedback loop. Is it a positive or negative feedback loop? Explain your reasoning.

Back

This is a positive feedback loop. When the glacier melts because of warmer temperatures, less sunlight is bounced away. The exposed land or water absorbs more heat, which makes it even warmer and causes more ice to melt. This cycle keeps going, making the warming worse.

Front

A glacier begins to melt due to rising temperatures. As more ice melts, less sunlight is reflected by the Earth’s surface, which absorbs more heat and leads to further warming. Choose the correct graph.

Back

Front

As global temperatures rise, more water evaporates into the atmosphere, which increases cloud cover. The additional clouds reflect more sunlight back into space, helping to cool the Earth’s surface. Explain whether this scenario represents a positive or negative feedback loop. Provide reasons for your answer.

Back

This is a negative feedback loop. When temperatures go up, more water vapor forms clouds. These clouds reflect sunlight away, which cools the Earth's surface. This cooling helps to balance out the warming, slowing down the temperature rise.

Front

Increased rainfall in a tropical region leads to more plant growth. The additional vegetation increases moisture in the atmosphere through transpiration, leading to even more rainfall in the area, further enhancing plant growth. Is this a positive or negative feedback loop? Describe the processes involved and how they interact.

Back

This is a positive feedback loop. More rain helps plants grow, and as they grow, they release more moisture into the air. This extra moisture causes even more rain, which helps the plants grow even more. The cycle keeps building up.

Front

Increased rainfall in a tropical region leads to more plant growth. The additional vegetation increases moisture in the atmosphere through transpiration, leading to even more rainfall in the area, further enhancing plant growth. Choose the correct graph.

Back

Front

Sequence the following scenario steps correctly.

Back

Front

Back

This is a positive feedback loop because when forests are cut down, less CO₂ is absorbed by the trees. This makes CO₂ levels go up, which causes more warming. The warming leads to even more forest loss, and the cycle keeps going, making the situation worse each time.

Front

In a forest, as the deer population grows, wolves (predators) increase because there's more food. But as wolves eat more deer, the deer population decreases. With fewer deer, the wolf population also drops. As wolves decline, the deer population recovers, and the cycle repeats. Choose the correct graph.

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