Review For Quiz: Earth's Changing Climate

A scientist says that even if the amount of energy entering the Earth system from the sun doesn’t change, there can still be less energy entering than exiting the Earth system. What could change in the atmosphere that would cause this, and what effect would this have on energy in the Earth system?

• Methane could decrease, leading to less energy in the Earth system.

• Methane could decrease, leading to more energy in the Earth system.

• Methane could increase, leading to more energy in the Earth system.

• Methane could increase, leading to less energy in the Earth system.

Fossil evidence from the time of Tyrannosaurus rex (85 to 65 million years ago) shows less energy entered the Earth system than exited, even though energy from the sun didn’t change. How might the amount of carbon dioxide have changed to cause this, and how would that have changed the energy absorbed by Earth’s surface?

• Carbon dioxide decreased, so there was less energy in the Earth system and less energy absorbed by Earth’s surface.

• Carbon dioxide decreased, so there was more energy in the Earth systemand more energy absorbed by Earth’s surface.

• Carbon dioxide increased, so there was more energy in the Earth systemand more energy absorbed by Earth’s surface.

• Carbon dioxide increased, so there was less energy in the Earth system andless energy absorbed by Earth’s surface.

Energy in the Earth's system is said to be stable and the temperature does not change when

• Energy in, is greater than Energy out.

• Energy in, is less than the amount of Energy out.

• Energy in, is the same as the amount of Energy out.

• Energy in, is different than the amount of Energy out.

A climatologist was working with a computer simulation that models Earth’s climate and atmosphere. She set up the controls of the simulation to decrease the amount of methane in the atmosphere. What should happen to the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface?

When methane decreases, the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface should . . .

• change unpredictably.

• stay at a constant level.

• increase.

• decrease.

In the graph, the blue (dashed) line represents

• data fluctuations

• a limit

• the trend

• a negative slope

Ice core data from Greenland indicates there was a time period on Earth when the atmosphere changed so more energy entered the Earth system than exited. What change to the atmosphere could have caused this, and how would it have affected energy on Earth during that time?

• Carbon dioxide decreased, leading to more energy in the Earth system.

• Carbon dioxide decreased, leading to less energy in the Earth system.

• Carbon dioxide increased, leading to more energy in the Earth system.

• Carbon dioxide increased, leading to less energy in the Earth system.

As more energy is absorbed by the Earth's surface than leaves the Earth's atmosphere

• Global temperatures decrease.

• Global temperatures increase.

• Global temperatures stabilize. (They stay constant.)

Scientists have tools that measure the amount of energy entering and exiting the Earth system. Recently, more energy entered the system than exited. What might scientists expect to see in the atmosphere, and what has changed about energy in the Earth system during this time?

• Methane decreased, leading to more energy in the Earth system and more energy absorbed by Earth’s surface.

• Methane decreased, leading to less energy in the Earth system and less energy absorbed by Earth’s surface.

• Methane increased, leading to more energy in the Earth system and more energy absorbed by Earth’s surface.

• Methane increased, leading to less energy in the Earth system and less energy absorbed by Earth’s surface.

In general, greenhouse gasses which contribute to global warming contain

• Argon

• Carbon

• Hydrogen

• Helium

Trees fight global warming because they take in carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and produce oxygen.

• True

• False