Chapter 2 Review Earth's Changing Climate

Climate researchers are creating a computer simulation to help them understand changes in the Earth system. They want to use the simulation to see what happens when they increase the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What should their simulation show about energy absorbed by Earth’s surface?

When carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases, the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface should

• Increase

• Decrease

• Stay at a constant Level

• Change unpredictably

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The Karoo Ice Age started about 360 million years ago and lasted for about 40 million years. During this time, less energy entered the Earth system than exited. What is one change to the atmosphere that could have caused this?

• Carbon dioxide decreased, leading to less energy in the Earth system because less energy was trapped by gases and held in the atmosphere.

• Carbon dioxide decreased, leading to less energy in the Earth system because less exiting energy was redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• Carbon dioxide increased, leading to more energy in the Earth system because more exiting energy was redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• Carbon dioxide increased, leading to less energy in the Earth system because more energy from the sun was redirected (bounced) back toward outer space.

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Using evidence from rocks, scientists have found that from 300 to 290 million years ago, the amount of methane in the atmosphere increased. What happened to the energy absorbed by Earth's surface during this time?

During this time, the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface

• Stayed at a constant level

• Changed unpredictably

• Increased

• Decreased

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Scientists study tree rings to learn more about Earth’s past climate. They found a time period when the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere decreased. What happened to energy in the Earth system when carbon dioxide in the atmosphere decreased?

Energy in the Earth system

• decreased, because more energy entered than exited. This is because less exiting energy was redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• decreased, because less energy entered than exited. This is because less exiting energy was redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• decreased, because less energy entered than exited. This is because less energy was trapped by gases and held in the atmosphere.

• increased, because more energy entered than exited. This is because less energy from the sun was redirected (bounced) back toward outer space.

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What is one reason that carbon dioxide is increasing in the atmosphere today?

• There are more volcanoes than there were in the past.

• People are riding bicycles instead of driving cars

• There are more people doing things that use combustion.

• People are using solar power.

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Climate researchers in Greenland can use ice core samples to tell them about carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the past. The researchers have found an ice core sample that shows there was a period when carbon dioxide in the atmosphere decreased. What happened to the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface during this time?

During this time, the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface

• Decreased

• Increased

• Stayed at a constant level

• Changed unpredictably

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NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

When making an argument about how climate change is affecting the ice cover on Earth, which of the following would be the least effective type of evidence to support your argument?

• data tracking the amount of snowfall for the last 50 years

• data tracking the surface temperature for the last 200 years

• data tracking carbon dioxide levels for the last 100 years

• data tracking glacier size for the last 2 years

The Pleistocene Epoch lasted for about 2.6 million years. During this time, there were a few time periods when the amount of methane in the atmosphere decreased. What would scientists expect to observe about the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface during the time periods when methane decreased?

During these time periods, the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface

• Increased

• Decreased

• Stayed at a consistent level

• Changed unpredictably

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NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

In the last 5 million years of the Permian period in Earth’s history, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased. How did energy in the Earth system change during this time?

• There was more energy in the Earth system and more energy absorbed by Earth’s surface, because less energy entered than exited.

• There was more energy in the Earth system and more energy absorbed by Earth’s surface, because more energy entered than exited.

• There was less energy in the Earth system and less energy absorbed by Earth’s surface, because more energy entered than exited.

• There was less energy in the Earth system and less energy absorbed by Earth’s surface, because less energy entered than exited.

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Climate scientists are working on a computer simulation to help them understand Earth’s climate. Looking at one period of time in the simulation, they see that more energy entered the Earth system than exited. How could the amount of methane have changed to cause this, and what effect would this have on energy in the Earth system?

• Methane increased, leading to more energy in the Earth system because more exiting energy was redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• Methane increased, leading to more energy in the Earth system because more energy was trapped by gases and held in the atmosphere.

• Methane decreased, leading to less energy in the Earth system because less exiting energy was redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• Methane decreased, leading to less energy in the Earth system because less energy from the sun was redirected (bounced) back toward outer space.

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