ENS Study Flashcards
(131 cards)
1
Q
Radiocarbon allows scientists to…
A
estimate the age of once living organisms.
2
Q
Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) are trajectories adopted by the IPCC in its 5th Assessment Report (AR5) in 2014. What do the numbers in RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6, and RCP8.5 stand for?
A
increase in radiative forcing by the end of the 21st century compared to preindustrial time
3
Q
Since 1880 the globally averaged temperature has increased by approximately
A
1.0 °C
4
Q
Which of the following processes has contributed the most to sea level rise that we have seen until today?
A
loss of mountain glaciers
5
Q
According to the most recent IPCC report (AR5), how much is sea level is expected to rise until the end of the 21st century?
A
30-80 cm
6
Q
Past data and climate models suggest an increase in global thermohaline circulation during the 21st century.
A
False
7
Q
Ice cores allows scientists to reconstruct the composition of the atmosphere over the last 180 million years.
A
False
8
Q
Over the past decades, the ice mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet had a larger impact on sea level rise that the ice mass loss from the Anarctic ice sheet.
A
True
9
Q
Northern hemisphere sea ice that forms seasonally
A
is expected to be absent in Februaries under the RCP2.8 scenario by the end of this century
10
Q
The thawing of permafrost…
A
-will result in the release of methane from soils to the atmosphere
-induce mostly positive feedbacks in the climate system
-will result in the release of CO2 from soils to the atmosphere
11
Q
__1__
The isotopic composition of oxygen within CaCO3 shells that got buried in sediments.
__5__
pollen grains buried in sediments
__4__
living corals
__3__
ice cores
__2__
tree rings
A
- the amount of ice on continents over the past hundreds of thousands of years
- precipitation in different seasons over the past few hundred years
- composition of the atmosphere in the past hundreds of thousands of years
- variations in temperature over the past few hundred years.
- climate in the past, considering the climate that specific species need to grow
12
Q
How much of the CO2 that humans have been emitted largely by burning fossil fuels, has been accumulating in the atmosphere?
A
About 50%
13
Q
Sea level equivalents (SLE) are used to express the relation between sea level rise and…
A
ice mass loss
14
Q
What does “IPCC” stand for?
A
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
15
Q
The global average atmospheric CO2 concentrations in 2024 was
A
425 parts per million (ppm)
16
Q
If the ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland would melt, sea level would rise by roughly
A
66 m
17
Q
The globally averaged CO2 concentration today (February 2024) is higher than it was one year ago.
A
True
18
Q
In a warming climate, ocean stratification is expected to intsify which will slow down global deep ocean circulation.
A
True
19
Q
The globally averaged atmospheric CO2 concentration today (February 2025) is higher than it it will be in 6 months from today.
A
True
20
Q
Carbon dioxide acts as a greenhouse gas because…
A
- it reflects some of the longwave infrared radiation back to the Earth’s surface
- of its distinct molecular structure
21
Q
Radiative forcing…
A
- is defined as the difference of solar energy absorbed by the Earth and the energy radiated back to space.
-has a positive value in a warming climate.
-is typically expressed in units of Watts per square meter.
- is a concept that provides a way to quantify and compare different agents that affect the climate system.
22
Q
Sort the following sectors by their contribution to global GHG emissions (from high to low).
A
__3__ Industry
__1__ Energy
__4__ Waste
__2__ Agriculture
23
Q
Which greenhouse gas emitted by humans is the second most significant driver of global warming?
A
CH4 (methane)
24
Q
Most of the frozen water on planet Earth is stored in…
A
ice sheets
25
As a researcher you have measured a very high 18O isotope concentration in a bivalve shell that you found in a marine sediment core and you know that this shell came from a sediment that was deposited 180,000 years ago. What does the high concentration of the heavy oxygen isotope tell you about the climate 180,000 years ago?
It must have been very cold because a lot of the light isotope must have been locked in ice sheets
26
The CO2 in the atmosphere is becoming "lighter" because
The CO2 released from burning fossil fuels in enriched in the light carbon isotope
27
Most excess heat associated with global warming is stored in the...
surface ocean
28
Over the past decades, the ice mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet had a larger impact on sea level rise that the ice mass loss from the Anarctic ice sheet.
True
29
The volume of sea ice in the Arctic is about 4-times larger than the volume of sea ice around Antarctica.
True
30
Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) are four greenhouse gas concentration trajectories adopted by the IPCC for its 5th Assessment Report (AR5) in 2014. The numbers of the four RCP (2.6, 4.5, 6, 8.5) give the expected temperature increase (in degrees celsius) by the end of the 21st century.
False
31
Ice sheets...
-contain almost 80% of all the freshwater on Planet Earth.
-contain >99% of all surface freshwater on planet Earth.
32
Over the past 800.000 years the amount of ice stored on the continents varied substantially. This had conseqeunes for...
the isotopic composition of water with respect to the light and heavy form of oxygen atoms in water molecules.
sea level.
the albedo of the Earth's surface.
ocean circulation.
33
Sort the following greenhouse gases by their contribution to global warming (from high to low).
1 CO2
2 CH4
3 N2O
4 Fluorinated gases (excluding banned CFCs)
34
In climate change research the unit W/m2 is used to quantify...
Radiative energy per area
35
How much of the CO2 that humans have been emitted largely by burning fossil fuels, has been taken up by the oceans?
About 25%
36
The global average atmospheric CO2 concentrations in 2024 was
425 parts per million (ppm)
37
Current sea level rise is about
3 mm per year
38
Which greenhouse gas emitted by humans is the main driver of anthropogenic climate change?
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
39
The amount of sea ice in the Arctic during the northern hemisphere summer is rapidly declining.
True
40
The amount of sea ice that forms around Antarctica during the southern hemisphere winter is rapidly declining.
False
41
The apparent cooling in the North Atlantic is likely associated with increased freshwater input from the Greenland ice sheet.
True
42
The disintegration of ice shelves...
can result in the destabilization and acceleration of glaciers
result in the formation of giant icebergs
has no immediate effect on sea level rise
43
Ice shelves...
occur when ice sheets extend over the sea and float on the water
can be more than 1 kilometer thick
surround large areas of the Antarctic continent
44
Sort the following greenhouse gases by their global warming potential (from high to low).
(1) Fluorinated Gases
(2) N2O
(3) CH4
(4) CO2
45
Currently atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations increase by roughly...
2.8 parts per million (ppm) per year
46
A special report published by the IPCC in 2018 emphasizes a global warming temperature that would significantly reduce impacts on ecosystems, human health and well-being in comparison to what has been set as a goal in the Paris Agreement. What is this temperature threshold?
1.5° C
47
According to the most recent IPCC report (AR5), how much is sea level is expected to rise until the end of the 21st century?
30-80 cm
48
Over the past 800,000 years the Earth's climate oscillated between warm (interglacial) and cold (glacial) periods. How much did the temperature and sea level typically differ between glacial and interglacial periods?
10 °C and 130 m
49
Since 1880 the globally averaged temperature has increased by approximately
1.0 °C
50
In a warming climate, ocean stratification is expected to intensify which will slow down global deep ocean circulation.
True
51
The loss of ice sheets does not directly result in sea level rise, but can result in destabilization of glaciers and higher calving rates.
False
52
Declining sea ice in the Arctic and around Antarctica is a major drive of sea level rise.
False
53
Carbon dioxide acts as a greenhouse gas because…
it reflects some of the longwave infrared radiation back to the Earth's surface
it absorbs shortwave UV radiation
it is used during photosynthesis
54
CO2 equivalents...
are used to comapre different greenhouse gasses with repsect to their impact on global warming.
take into account the global warming potential of different greenhouse gasses.
55
Match the climate proxies or archives with what they can tell us about the climate in the past.
1. the isotopic composition of oxygen within CaCO3 shells that got buried in sediments.
2. tree rings
3. ice cores
4. living corals
5. pollen grains buried in sediments
1. the amount of ice on continents over the past hundreds of thousands of years
2. precipitation in different seasons over the past few hundred years
3. composition of the atmosphere in the past hundreds of thousands of years
4. variations in temperature over the past few hundred years.
5.climate in the past, considering the climate that specific species need to grow
56
Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) are trajectories adopted by the IPCC in its 5th Assessment Report (AR5) in 2014. What do the numbers in RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6, and RCP8.5 stand for?
Increase in radiative forcing by the end of the 21st century compared to preindustrial time
57
Historically which country (or Union) has contributed most to global CO2 emissions?
USA
58
Radiocarbon allows scientists to...
estimate the age of once living organisms.
59
Sea level equivalents (SLE) are used to express the relation between sea level rise and...
ice mass loss
60
Current sea level rise is about
3 mm per year
61
The globally averaged atmospheric CO2 concentration today (February 2025) is higher than it it will be in 6 months from today.
True
62
Past data and climate models suggest an increase in global thermohaline circulation during the 21st century.
False
63
The amount of sea ice that forms around Antarctica during the southern hemisphere winter is rapidly declining.
False
64
CO2 equivalents...
are used to comapre different greenhouse gasses with repsect to their impact on global warming.
take into account the global warming potential of different greenhouse gasses.
65
The thawing of permafrost...
will result in the release of methane from soils to the atmosphere
66
Sort the following sectors by their contribution to global GHG emissions (from high to low).
1. Energy
2. Agriculture
3. Industry
4. Waste
67
Which of the following processes is expected to contribute most to future sea level rise during the 21st century?
thermal seawater expansion
68
Most of the frozen water on planet Earth is stored in...
ice sheets
69
Which greenhouse gas emitted by humans is the main driver of anthropogenic climate change?
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
70
Most excess heat associated with global warming is stored in the...
surface ocean
71
Which of the following processes has contributed the most to sea level rise that we have seen until today?
loss of mountain glaciers
72
The apparent cooling in the North Atlantic is likely associated with increased freshwater input from the Greenland ice sheet.
True
73
Declining sea ice in the Arctic and around Antarctica is a major drive of sea level rise.
False
74
The amount of sea ice in the Arctic during the northern hemisphere summer is rapidly declining.
True
75
Ice sheets...
contain almost 80% of all the freshwater on Planet Earth.
contain >99% of all surface freshwater on planet Earth.
76
Ice shelves...
occur when ice sheets extend over the sea and float on the water
can be more than 1 kilometer thick
surround large areas of the Antarctic continent
77
Sort the following greenhouse gases by their contribution to global warming (from high to low).
1. CO2
2. CH4
3. N2O
4. Fluorinated gases (excluding banned CFCs)
78
The CO2 in the atmosphere is becoming "lighter" because
The CO2 released from burning fossil fuels in enriched in the light carbon isotope
79
Analyzing ice cores is an important method in paleoclimatology because they allow us to...
assess past concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
80
How much of the CO2 that humans have been emitted largely by burning fossil fuels, has been taken up by the continents?
25%
81
The Keeling Curve is longest continuous record of atmospheric CO2 concentration measurements taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory on the island of Hawaii. In which year were these measurements started?
1958
82
How much of the CO2 that humans have been emitted largely by burning fossil fuels, has been accumulating in the atmosphere?
About 50%
83
Ice cores allows scientists to reconstruct the composition of the atmosphere over the last 180 million years.
False
84
Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) are four greenhouse gas concentration trajectories adopted by the IPCC for its 5th Assessment Report (AR5) in 2014. The numbers of the four RCP (2.6, 4.5, 6, 8.5) give the expected temperature increase (in degrees celsius) by the end of the 21st century.
False
85
Over the past decades, the ice mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet had a larger impact on sea level rise that the ice mass loss from the Anarctic ice sheet.
True
86
Over the past 800.000 years the amount of ice stored on the continents varied substantially. This had conseqeunes for...
the isotopic composition of water with respect to the light and heavy form of oxygen atoms in water molecules.
sea level.
the albedo of the Earth's surface.
87
The disintegration of ice shelves...
can result in the destabilization and acceleration of glaciers
result in the formation of giant icebergs
has no immediate effect on sea level rise
88
What does "IPCC" stand for?
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
89
Which greenhouse gas emitted by humans is the second most significant driver of global warming?
CH4 (methane)
90
Most excess heat associated with global warming is stored in the...
surface ocean
91
As a researcher you have measured a very high 18O isotope concentration in a bivalve shell that you found in a marine sediment core and you know that this shell came from a sediment that was deposited 180,000 years ago. What does the high concentration of the heavy oxygen isotope tell you about the climate 180,000 years ago?
It must have been very cold because a lot of the light isotope must have been locked in ice sheets
92
If the ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland would melt, sea level would rise by roughly
66 m
93
The globally averaged CO2 concentration today (February 2024) is higher than it was one year ago.
True
94
The volume of sea ice in the Arctic is about 4-times larger than the volume of sea ice around Antarctica.
True
95
The loss of ice sheets does not directly result in sea level rise, but can result in destabilization of glaciers and higher calving rates.
False
96
Northern hemisphere sea ice that forms seasonally
is expected to be absent in Septembers under the RCP2.8 scenario by the end of this century
is expected to be absent in Septembers under the RCP8.5 scenario by the end of this century
is expected to be absent in Februaries under the RCP8.5 scenario by the end of this century
97
Radiative forcing…
has a positive value in a warming climate.
is typically expressed in units of Watts per square meter.
is a concept that provides a way to quantify and compare different agents that affect the climate system.
98
Sort the following greenhouse gases by their global warming potential (from high to low).
__1__ Fluorinated Gases
__2__ N2O
__4__ CO2
__3__ CH4
99
Which of type of energy production has the potential to lower atmospheric CO2 concentrations?
Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage
100
The IPCC special report published in 2018 discusses the differential outcome of global warming of...
1.5 C and 2 C
101
Compound flooding occurs when a storm surge coincides with high tides.
False
102
Increasing adaptive capacity increases vulnerability to climate climate change.
False
103
The number of wildfires in the US has dramatically increased over the past 40 years.
False
104
Adaptation and Mitigation are both important responses to the impacts of climate change.
True
105
In order to limit global warming below 1.5 C, we will likely need to use carbon dioxide removal strategies. Which of the activities below are carbon removal strategies?
Bio Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage
Afforestration
106
Ocean acidification...
is a consequence of increased CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere
is expected to be specifically harmful to organisms that build calcium carbonate shells
107
Vulnerability to climate change can be reduced by
increasing adaptive capacity Mitigation efforts
decreasing sensitivity
108
Which of the following are questions that could be answered by "climate attribution science"?
How much of the precipitation in North Carolina associated with Hurricane Helene in 2024 can be attributed to anthropogenic climate change?
How much of sea level rise can be attributed to thermal expansion versus loss of mountain glaciers?
109
Organisms are often exposed to multiple climate change stressors simultaneously. Match different types of effects with the way how combinations of stress can affect organisms.
1.
interactive effects
2.
synergistic effects
3.
antagonistic effects
4.
additive effects
2__
are greater than the sum of each independently
__4__
are the sum of each independently
__3__
are less than the sum of each independently
__1__
can be additive, antagonistic or synergistic
110
Over the next few thousand years most anthropogenic CO2 will be consumed within the ocean because
biogenic CaCO3 that has accumulated on the seafloor will get in contact with more acidic water and dissolve.
111
In order to create incentives to invest into technologies with lower CO2 emissions, carbon taxes and carbon trading markets have already been established in many countries, but only in which sector?
electricity
112
Adaptation focusses on actions that help to reduce CO2 emissions and atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
False
113
Mitigation focusses on actions that minimize the negative impacts of climate change.
False
113
Most of the CO2 emitted over the past 150 years has been absorbed by the ocean.
False
114
Renewable energy will be a key to the decarbonization, but currently the costs per unit energy are too high to be implemented at a large scale.
False
115
Geoengineering activities...
may have severe side effetcs.
intend to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
include ideas about solar radiation management
116
"Degree heating weeks" is an estimate that allows to predict severe bleaching events in corals. Which of the following statements in correct.
The frequency of years with high "degree heating weeks" is increasing
Above a specific "Degree heating weeks" threshold severe coral bleaching events happen.
"Degree heating weeks" is an estimate of the accumulated heat exposure of a coral during a given summer
117
Which are the 2 types of natural disasters which number of occurrences has most strongly increased over the past 50 years?
floods
extreme weather
118
Some of the organisms that will be most strongly impacted by OA are...
calcifying phytoplankton
bivalves
corals
119
There are 2 major pathways how global warming can be limited to 1.5 C by the end of the 21st century. One relies on very rapid decline of GHG emissions, the other on significant CO2 removal from the atmosphere in addition to reductions in GHG emissions. Match the mitigation actions that would contribute to each of those 2 pathways.
1.
rapid reduction of GHG emissions
2.
CO2 removal from the atmosphere
(2)
afforestation
(1)
decarbonization
(1)
carbon capture and storage
(2)
sequestration of carbon in soils
2)
bioenergy with carbon capture and storage
(2)
geoengineering
120
Which of the following energy production has the potential to lower atmospheric CO2 concentrations
Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage
121
The IPPC special report published in 2018 discusses the differential outcome of global warming of...
1.5 degrees celsius and 2 degrees celsius
122
Compound flooding occurs when a storm surge coincides with high tides
False
123
Increasing adaptive capacity increases vulnerability to climate change
False
124
The number of wildfires in the US has dramatically increased over the past 40 years
False
125
Adaptation and mitigation are both important responses to the impacts of climate change
True
126
In order to limit the global warming below 1.5 degrees celsius, we will likely need to use carbon dioxide removal strategies. Which of the following activities below are carbon removal strategies?
Bio energy with carbon capture and storage
Afforestration
127
Ocean acidification...
is consequences of increased CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere
is expected to specifically harmful to organisms that build calcium carbonate shells
is expected to be specifically harmful to organisms without calcium carbonate shells
128
Vulnerability to climate change can be reduced by
increasing adaptive capacity
mitigation efforts
decreasing sensitivity
129
Which of the following are questions that could be answered by "climate attribution science"?
How much precipitation in North Carolina associated with Hurricane Helene in 2024 can be attributed to anthropogenic climate change?
How much of the economic damage produced by the wildfires in California in 2025 can be attributed to be more more severe droughts associated with anthropogenic climate change?
How much of sea level rise can be attributed to thermal expansion versus loss of mountain glaciers?
130
Organisms are often exposed to multiple climate change stressors simultaneously. Match different types of effects with the way how combinations of stress can affect organisms.
1. Interactive effects
2. Synergistic effects
3. Antagonistic effects
4. Additive effects
2. are greater than the sum of each independently
4. are the sum of each independently
3. are less than the sum of each independently
1. can be additive, antagonistic, or synergistic
