Climatic Changes Quiz

Question 1

Human activities that are major factors in contributing to global greenhouse gasses include

Accepted Answer

burning of fossil fuels (CO2) and deforestation.

Question 2

The middle latitudes receive differing amounts of yearly solar radiation causing

Accepted Answer

winter, summer, spring & fall., pronounced changes in the seasons.

Question 3

Earth's "wobbling" in space may also be another explanation for climate change due to the

Accepted Answer

shape of Earth's orbit and changes in axial tilt.

Question 4

The tropics receive mostly the same amount of solar radiation year-around - causing

Accepted Answer

very little difference in the seasons.

Question 5

In an El Niño year, the winds in the tropical Pacific can weaken or

Accepted Answer

reverse, which causes short-term climate change.

Question 6

A regular climatic event called El Niño involves the atmosphere and the

Accepted Answer

tropical Pacific ocean.

Question 7

Earth has been in and out of ice ages for the past ___ million years.

Accepted Answer

44

Question 8

More recent (in the last 44 million years) periodic ice ages have occurred most likely due to

Accepted Answer

Antarctica drifting over the south pole disrupting currents.

Question 9

During the summer the north pole is tilted towards the Sun - causing

Accepted Answer

six months of constant daylight.

Question 10

Fossils that are millions of years old & sediment deposits have shown that Earth's climate was

Accepted Answer

much different in the past.

Question 11

Catastrophic climate events such as a large meteor impact and massive volcanism can also

Accepted Answer

cause short-term climate change.

Question 12

Other El Niño effects are droughts in Australia & an increase in storm activity in California.

Accepted Answer

TRUE

Question 13

High latitudes near the poles experience great differences in temperature and

Accepted Answer

daylight hours.

Question 14

A the ___ the days and nights are about the same length all year long.

Accepted Answer

equator

Question 15

During the summer in the northern hemisphere the south pole experiences

Accepted Answer

24 hours of darkness.

Question 16

La Niña may cause droughts in the southern United States and too much rain in the northwest.

Accepted Answer

TRUE

Question 17

The opposite of an El Niño is a La Niña - where winds blow even stronger across the Pacific.

Accepted Answer

TRUE

Question 18

Natural heating that occurs when certain gasses are present in Earth's atmosphere is called

Accepted Answer

the greenhouse effect.

Question 19

Short periods of climate change caused by the change in the amount of solar heating is called

Accepted Answer

the seasons.

Question 20

Because the Earth is ___, different regions of the planet receive changing yearly radiation.

Accepted Answer

tilted

Questions 20