Effects of Volcanic Eruptions on Climate

Volcanic eruptions add ash, dust, carbon dioxide, and ________ to the atmosphere.

• sulfur dioxide

• oxygen

• nitrogen

• argon

Carbon dioxide reduces the amount of energy that leaves the Earth system because it redirects outgoing energy. When more energy enters than exits, there will be more energy in the system overall, and Earth will ________.

• warm

• cool

• shrink

• lose energy

Sulfur dioxide reduces the amount of energy that enters the Earth system because it redirects incoming energy from sunlight back to ________.

• outer space

• the ocean

• the ground

• the atmosphere

An increase in sulfur dioxide results in cooling because sulfur dioxide causes more energy to leave, and that means less energy enters than exits the Earth system for a period of time. There will be less energy in the system overall, and Earth will ________.

• cool

• warm

• expand

• brighten

While human activities are causing the current long-term trend of increasing temperatures, in the short term, other factors can have ________ effects on the climate.

• smaller

• identical

• opposite

• permanent

• unpredictable

Large volcanic eruptions don’t have the large, long-term effects that human activities like driving cars and cutting down trees do, but they may temporarily affect ________.

• climate

• gravity

• magnetism

• ocean tides

Even though volcanic eruptions are NOT the cause of the long-term trend of increasing temperatures that has been occurring since 1880, it is also important for scientists to understand factors that influence climate in smaller ways or for shorter amounts of time. Smaller changes to temperature can temporarily affect things like weather patterns and the stability of ecosystems and change the size of ________.

• glaciers

• forests

• deserts

• oceans

If the climate changes, some populations might die or move out of an ecosystem. As a result, the populations of animals that eat those other organisms would also ________.

Scientists must carefully consider all available evidence before making arguments about a phenomenon.

• True

• False

Discussing evidence and ideas with others helps build new understanding.

• True

• False