Oxygen Isotopes and Climate Change

Oxygen Isotopes and Climate Change

Assessment

Interactive Video

Science, Geography, Chemistry

10th - 12th Grade

Hard

Created by

Patricia Brown

FREE Resource

The video tutorial explains how stable isotopes of oxygen, specifically O16 and O18, are used to understand climate change over millions of years. It describes the natural processes of evaporation and fractionation, and how these affect the ratio of O16 to O18 in ice sheets and oceans. The tutorial further explains how changes in these ratios can indicate periods of climate cooling or warming, providing insights into the Earth's historical climate patterns.

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10 questions

Show all answers

1.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What is the primary focus of using stable isotopes of oxygen in climate studies?

To determine the age of the Earth

To predict future weather patterns

To understand the natural changes in Earth's climate

To measure the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere

2.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Which isotope of oxygen is more abundant in nature?

O-18

O-17

O-15

O-16

3.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What does the ratio of O-18 to O-16 help scientists understand?

The chemical composition of water

The speed of ocean currents

The historical climate changes

The density of ice sheets

4.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

During evaporation, which oxygen isotope is taken up more into the atmosphere?

O-18

O-17

O-16

O-15

5.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What happens to the O-16 isotope when the Earth gets colder?

It evaporates more quickly

It remains in the oceans

It is released into the atmosphere

It is tied up in growing ice sheets

6.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

How does the growth of ice sheets affect the O-18 to O-16 ratio in oceans?

The ratio remains constant

The ratio increases

The ratio becomes unpredictable

The ratio decreases

7.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What indicates that the climate is getting warmer?

The ice sheets grow larger

The O-18 to O-16 ratio in oceans decreases

The O-18 to O-16 ratio in ice increases

The O-16 is tied up in ice

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