Climate Change

If you took away the atmosphere’s natural greenhouse effect, and everything else stayed the same, Earth’s temperature would be   

• 10-20°F warmer
• 30-40°F warmer
• 10-20°F cooler
• 50-60°F cooler

How do scientists collect evidence about climate?  

• using remote sensing from space with satellites
• by ground-based measurements of surface temperatures, carbon dioxide concentration and sea level
• by collecting “proxy data” from tree rings, ice cores, and historical records
• all of the above

Compared to other greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide is very effective in trapping heat near the surface of the Earth.

• true
• false

Which of the following have been linked to climate change?  

• droughts
• flooding
• melting of polar ice caps
• all of the above

The average temperature of the surface of Earth has increased approximately 1°C (1.8°F) in the past century. Which reason best explains this increase in temperature?

• lower levels of ozone in the atmosphere

• lower levels of nitrogen in the atmosphere

• higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

• higher levels of oxygen in the atmosphere

Which is a primary energy source used by power plants to generate electricity?

• coal
• wood
• gasoline
• batteries

Which of the following is the best conclusion that can be made from this graph?

• atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been decreasing since 1960
• Hawaii has a lot of carbon dioxide
• humans have been working hard to decrease carbon dioxide levels
• atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased steadily since 1960

The main human activity that releases greenhouse gases is

• using bottled water
• burning fossil fuels
• texting on cellphones
• eating meat

Some greenhouse gases are naturally present in the Earth's atmosphere

• True
• False

One thing you can do to help decrease global warming include:

• Eat more ice cream.

• Keep your freezer door open.

• Keep your air conditioner on high.

• Turn off your lights when you’re not using them.