The Chemistry of Climate Change Review

What would tree rings look like during periods of high precipiation?

• Fewer visible rings indicate long‑term wetter periods

• Irregular, variable rings indicate consistently wet decades

• Narrow, thin rings indicate sustained dry soil moisture

• Widespread, dense rings indicate wetter periods

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Which statement best explains how scientists use climate proxies to reconstruct long‑term climate patterns?

• They avoid proxies because only instruments are reliable

• They combine multiple proxies to infer past climate trends

• They use proxies to reproduce exact yearly temperatures

• They use a single proxy to map global daily weather

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NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

Which of the following could be used as a climate proxy?

• Satellite data

• Weather data logs

• Fossil pollen

• Humans

One of your classmates wants to move to the Florida coast when she retires. Using what you know about rising sea levels, is this a good idea?

• Yes, the beach will have lots of water.

• Yes, the sea level will go down, giving Florida more land.

• No, the sea level will rise, damaging buildings along the ocean.

• No, sea will be too salty.

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NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

NGSS.HS-ESS3-1

Based on the global climate risk map, which combination of risks is most likely for the West Coast of America by 2040?

• Wildfires, water stress, and flooding

• Heat stress and wildfires

• Hurricanes and typhoons

• Flooding, hurricanes/typhoons and heat stress

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NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

NGSS.HS-ESS3-1

Which of the following describes the precipitation in the US during the Dust Bowl (1931-1960)?

• Nearly the entire US was drier than average

• The eastern US was drier than the west

• The US had significantly more precipitation than usual

• The US had more precipitation than in 1991-2020

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NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

Which explanation best accounts for why oceans accumulate more heat than land and atmosphere?

• Oceans have higher albedo and reflect more sunlight

• Albedo of ocean and land surfaces is essentially identical

• Albedo does not influence how much energy is absorbed

• Dark seawater has lower albedo and absorbs more energy

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NGSS.HS-PS3-4

In the past, we have seen CO2 and temperature levels fluctuating. What is the explanation for this fluctuation?

• Large, continuous releases of greenhouse gases from early human settlements.

• Daily sunlight changes from Earth’s rotation.

• Milankovitch cycles changed Earth’s orbit, tilt, and precession.

• Super volcano eruptions, releasing CO2 across the entire planet.

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NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

NGSS.HS-ESS3-1

NGSS.HS-ESS3-6

The graph shows Antarctic sea ice extent over the year, with a red line for 2023 well below the 1979–2010 average Laur dotted line. Which change most directly explains how reduced sea ice extent accelerates warming through a positive feedback loop?

• More open ocean increases albedo, reflecting extra sunlight back

• Less open ocean raises albedo, absorbing less incoming solar energy

• More open ocean lowers albedo, absorbing more incoming solar energy

• Less open ocean lowers albedo, reflecting less sunlight to space

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS2-2

Which of the following is a correct statement about the difference between weather and climate?

• Weather is measured over a long period of time while climate is measured over a short period of time.

• Weather is measured over a short period of time while climate is measured over a long period of time.

• Weather only measures temperature while climate measures multiple components (temperature, wind, precipitation, etc).

• Weather and climate are the same thing.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6