Climate Science

Name:

Date:

Instructions: Understand the science behind climate, greenhouse gases, and Earth's changing atmosphere

1.
What is the greenhouse effect?
A
Gases in the atmosphere trapping heat from the Sun
B
Plants growing in greenhouses
C
Solar flares heating Earth
D
The ozone layer blocking UV rays
2.
Which gas is the primary contributor to the enhanced greenhouse effect from human activities?
A
Oxygen
B
Argon
C
Carbon dioxide
D
Nitrogen
3.
What is the name of the international agreement signed in 2015 to combat climate change?
A
Paris Agreement
B
Montreal Protocol
C
Kyoto Protocol
D
Geneva Convention
4.
What are ice cores drilled from glaciers used to study?
A
Past climate conditions
B
Earthquake patterns
C
Ocean salinity
D
Volcanic eruptions
5.
What is the ozone layer and where is it located?
A
A layer of oxygen near the ground
B
A magnetic field around Earth
C
A protective layer in the stratosphere that absorbs UV radiation
D
A cloud layer in the troposphere
6.
What phenomenon describes the long-term rise in Earth's average surface temperature?
A
El Niño
B
Thermal expansion
C
Solar maximum
D
Global warming
7.
Which greenhouse gas is approximately 80 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year period?
A
Ozone
B
Methane
C
Nitrous oxide
D
Water vapor
8.
What is the term for permanently frozen ground found in polar regions?
A
Glacier
B
Ice shelf
C
Tundra
D
Permafrost
9.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established by which two organizations?
A
NASA and ESA
B
UNESCO and FAO
C
WHO and UNICEF
D
WMO and UNEP
10.
What happens to sea levels when polar ice caps and glaciers melt?
A
They stay the same
B
They decrease
C
They rise
D
They fluctuate randomly
11.
What is a carbon footprint?
A
A fossil of a plant
B
A type of soil erosion
C
The total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual or activity
D
A geological formation
12.
Which chemical compounds, once used in refrigerants, were found to deplete the ozone layer?
A
Carbon monoxide
B
Nitrogen oxides
C
Sulfur dioxide
D
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
13.
What is albedo in climate science?
A
A type of cloud
B
The reflectivity of a surface
C
A greenhouse gas
D
A weather pattern
14.
The Keeling Curve tracks the steady rise of what in Earth's atmosphere since 1958?
A
Nitrogen levels
B
Carbon dioxide concentration
C
Methane levels
D
Oxygen levels
15.
Which Swedish scientist first calculated that CO2 emissions from fossil fuels could cause global warming, in 1896?
A
Alfred Nobel
B
Anders Celsius
C
Svante Arrhenius
D
Carl Linnaeus

Answer Key

Question 1

A. Gases in the atmosphere trapping heat from the Sun

Question 2

C. Carbon dioxide

Question 3

A. Paris Agreement

Question 4

A. Past climate conditions

Question 5

C. A protective layer in the stratosphere that absorbs UV radiation

Question 6

D. Global warming

Question 7

B. Methane

Question 8

D. Permafrost

Question 9

D. WMO and UNEP

Question 10

C. They rise

Question 11

C. The total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual or activity

Question 12

D. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Question 13

B. The reflectivity of a surface

Question 14

B. Carbon dioxide concentration

Question 15

C. Svante Arrhenius

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