Category 1
If methane in the atmosphere increases, what happens to the amount of energy absorbed by the Earth's surface?
a. stayed at a constant level.
b. changed unpredictably.
c. increased.
d. decreased.
c. increased.
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?
a.) Carbon dioxide increased
b.) Carbon dioxide decreased
a.) Carbon dioxide increased
. 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?
a.) Carbon dioxide decreased
b.) Carbon dioxide increased
a.) Carbon dioxide decreased
Geologists have found rocks showing that about 700 million years ago, there was a time period when the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere decreased. How did energy in the Earth system change during this time?
a.) more energy entered than exited.
b.) less energy entered than exited
b.) less energy entered than exited
Fossilized shells from the Pacific Ocean show that about 15 million years ago, there was a time period when carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased. What would have happened to the energy absorbed by Earth’s surface during this time?
During this time, energy absorbed by Earth’s surface . . .
a.) stayed at a constant level.
b.) changed unpredictably.
c.) decreased.
d.) increased.
d.) increased.
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?
a. Methane could increase
b. Methane could decrease
b. Methane could decrease
There are some bacteria that release methane into the atmosphere. Scientists think that if the number of these bacteria decreased, the amount of methane in the atmosphere would decrease. What would happen to energy in the Earth system if methane in the atmosphere decreases?
The energy in the Earth system would...
a.) decrease
b.) increase
b.) increase
A climatologist is creating a simulation for Earth’s climate and is working on how to set it up. One of the options for the simulation is to increase methane in the atmosphere. How should the energy in the Earth system change when the amount of methane in the atmosphere increases?
There should be . . .
a.) more energy in the Earth system and more energy absorbed by Earth’s surface, because more energy enters than exits.
b.) less energy in the Earth system and less energy absorbed by Earth’s surface, because less energy enters than exits.
a.) more energy in the Earth system and more energy absorbed by Earth’s surface, because more energy enters than exits.
The ice record shows a period in Earth’s history when there was an ice age and the global average temperature was much colder. During this time, the ice record shows the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere decreased, but the amount of energy from the sun did not change. How did the total amount of energy in the Earth system change, how did this change happen, and how did it contribute to the ice age?
When CO2 in the atmosphere decreased, less energy entered the earth system than exited, less energy was absorbed by the surface ->causing the temp to get colder – leading to the ice age.
Some scientists found that millions of years ago, there was a time when the number of trees increased very quickly, leading to a decrease in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What would you predict about the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface during this time?
During this time, the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface . . .
a.) increased.
b.) decreased.
c.) stayed at a consistent level.
d.) changed unpredictably.
b.) decreased.
Scientists think that a large amount of carbon dioxide was released from rock on the ocean floor from 120 to 80 million years ago and that this led to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What happened to energy in the Earth system during this time?
Energy in the Earth system . . .
a.) increased, because less energy entered than exited. This is because more exiting energy was redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.
b.) increased, because more energy entered than exited. This is because more energy was trapped by gases and held in the atmosphere.
a.) increased, because less energy entered than exited. This is because more exiting energy was redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.
What does CO2 stand for?
Carbon Dioxide
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?
a.) Methane increased
b.) Methane decreased
a.) Methane increased
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 . . .
a.) change unpredictably.
b.) stay at a constant level.
c.) increase.
d.) decrease.
d.) decrease.
What happens when more energy enters the Earth System than exits?
More energy is absorbed by the Earth, causing it to warm.