Earth layers/ global warming
air masses
Greenhouse gases
Temperate/glaciers
Wind/climate
100
Auroras occur where Earth’s magnetosphere traps high-energy particles in which region of the atmosphere?
thermosphere
100
Which is most often a result of a warm air mass moving over a cooler air mass?
an increase in precipitation
100
Which gas accounts for the largest percentage of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
water vapor
100
The average temperature of Earth has increased approximately 0.8°C in the last one hundred years. Which of the following do researchers MOST attribute to this temperature increase?
increased use of fossil fuels
100
Which property of the air is MOST responsible for the formation of convection currents?
density differences
200
Which substance in the atmosphere absorbs most of the ultraviolet rays?
ozone
200
Air mass 1 would MOST likely bring which weather conditions to a region?
cool and dry
200
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap heat near Earth’s surface. Which of these is a greenhouse gas?
water vapor
200
Weather stations built in urban areas can be influenced by the human-made structures that surround these stations. Some of these weather stations used to determine mean temperatures in the United States have had the validity of the data questioned. Which human-produced effect could these urban weather stations be measuring?
heat island
200
Which of these events is an example of a change in climate?
The average amount of annual precipitation decreases.
300
The stratosphere contains ozone 
which interacts with the ultraviolet radiation that reaches Earth from the Sun. How does the action of ozone in the stratosphere affect Earth?
Ozone removes electromagnetic radiation that is harmful to living things.
300
The air masses that interact to form hurricanes and cyclones rise and fall due to changes in air density and air pressure. Why do these storms also spin?
Earth’s rotation causes the air to turn as it moves north
300
A student reads the following statement.
The presence of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere is important to Earth’s ability to support human life.
How would Earth be different without greenhouse gases in its atmosphere?
More heat from solar radiation would escape into space.
300
The United States Geological Survey tracks the masses of three glaciers: The Gulkana and Wolverine Glaciers in Alaska and the South Cascade Glacier in Washington. These glaciers are studied carefully, and changes in their masses are recorded. The graph below shows the change in the masses of each glacier since 1958.
The climate has warmed since 1960, but most dramatically from 1990 to the present.
300
An area is described as having mild temperatures in the summer and being cool and rainy in the winter. On a day in May, the area experienced snow. Which BEST describes this day in terms of weather and climate?
The weather was different from the normal climate for the area.
400
Temperature increases as altitude increases in both the stratosphere and the thermosphere. What is the main difference between these two layers?
The temperature increases in the stratosphere because ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation, and in the thermosphere because of direct exposure to the sun.
400
High-pressure systems stop air from rising into the colder regions of the atmosphere where water can condense. What will MOST likely result if a high-pressure system remains in an area for a long period of time?
drought
400
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb infrared radiation from Earth’s surface and re-radiate some of it back to Earth. Which of these gases have the MOST significant impact on the temperature of Earth’s atmosphere?
carbon dioxide and water vapor
400
The Torres Strait Islands are low islands off the coast of Australia. How would an increase in global temperature MOST likely make the islands uninhabitable?
It could cause glacial ice melt, raising sea levels until the islands were flooded.
400
Which has the greatest influence on wind speed?
differences in the density of adjacent air masses
500
Raising livestock, such as sheep and cattle, results in the production of large amounts of methane gas (CH4). 
Methane has a similar effect in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2).
As more livestock are raised to provide food for humans, what is the MOST likely effect of the increase in methane?
global warming
500
Which property of the air is MOST responsible for the formation of convection currents?
Density differences
500
The greenhouse effect is a process by which atmospheric gases, including 
help warm the atmosphere and surface of Earth. Most scientists think the greenhouse effect is increasing due to human activities. Which of these human activities has caused the greatest increase in concentrations of atmospheric 
burning fossil fuels
500
Paleoclimatologists study the climate and its changes throughout Earth’s history. What observation by paleoclimatologists led scientists to predict that the average temperature of the planet is rising due to the combustion of fossil fuels?
direct correlation between atmospheric carbon dioxide level and global temperature
500
This uneven heating creates a pressure gradient and causes the wind to blow. Which of these describes how the wind blows?
The wind blows toward the land in a circular path.