On a cloudless day, what happens to most of the visible light headed toward Earth?It reaches Earth's surface, where some is reflected and some is absorbed.
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It reaches Earth's surface, where some is reflected and some is absorbed.
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What happens to the energy that the ground absorbs in the form of visible sunlight?
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It is returned upward in the form of infrared light.
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The greenhouse effect raises Earth's surface temperature (from what it would be otherwise) because the infrared light radiated by Earth's surface __________.
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is absorbed by greenhouse gases, slowing the escape of this energy to space
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The energy that warms Earth's surface comes primarily in the form of __________.
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visible light from the Sun
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Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, make Earth warmer than it would be otherwise because these gases __________.
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absorb infrared light emitted by the surface
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According to scientists, the naturally occurring greenhouse effect makes Earth about 31∘C warmer than it would be if there were no greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. How do scientists "know" what Earth's temperature would be without greenhouse gases?
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They calculate this temperature from Earth's reflectivity and distance from the Sun.
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What motivated Arrhenius to calculate how changes in carbon dioxide might affect the climate?
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He was seeking to understand the causes of ice ages.
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Using only pencil and paper calculations, Arrhenius concluded that a doubling of the carbon dioxide concentration would raise global temperatures by about _____.
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5° C
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Arrhenius was not particularly alarmed by his discovery at the time. What changed that made later scientists become much more concerned about the climate effects of carbon dioxide?
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Emissions of carbon dioxide rose much faster than Arrhenius had anticipated.
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Since the time Arrhenius made his prediction, the carbon dioxide concentration has risen by about 30% and the global average temperature has risen by about 1°C. Which statement below best describes how scientists should evaluate Arrhenius's prediction?
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Although Arrhenius's prediction was not exact, the actual change is similar enough to the predicted change to validate the general idea that a rising carbon dioxide concentration would lead to global warming.
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Current CO2 levels are higher than they have been at any other time during the history of the human species.
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True
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Historically, there is no link between increased CO2 levels and higher average temperatures.
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False
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Earth is habitable in part due to the greenhouse effect.
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True
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The current atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide on Earth is at its highest in over a million years.
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True
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Earth outgassed as much carbon dioxide as Venus, but on Earth most of it is locked up in the oceans and rocks.
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True
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Without greenhouse gases, water on Earth's surface would be completely frozen.
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True
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The CO2 concentration of the atmosphere has increased by about ________ since 1750.
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100 parts-per-million
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Mars' atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide. Why does it not experience a runaway greenhouse effect like Venus?
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Mars' atmosphere is too thin.
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Given the rate at which human activity is increasing CO2 levels, why can we not depend on the natural CO2 cycle to prevent global warming?
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It operates too slowly.
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How is carbon dioxide initially removed from the atmosphere?
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dissolving carbon dioxide in water
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According to current climate models and given the current emission rate of carbon dioxide, how much will the Earth's average temperature increase by the end of this century?
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2-5°C
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Earth's atmosphere contains only small amounts of carbon dioxide because
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carbon dioxide dissolves in water, and most of it is now contained in the oceans and carbonate rocks.
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Why would the weather become more severe as the greenhouse effect increased?
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Warming would increase the evaporation of the oceans, leading to more water in the atmosphere and more frequent and severe storms.
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Which of the following can act like a long-term "thermostat" for the Earth's average temperature?
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the carbon dioxide cycle
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Why does the burning of fossil fuels increase the greenhouse effect on Earth?
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Burning releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
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What are fossil fuels?
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the carbon-rich remains of plants that died millions of years ago
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Of the four gases CO2, H2O, N2, and O2, which are greenhouse gases?
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CO2 and H2O
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Which of the following statements about the greenhouse effect is true?
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All of the above are true.
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Which of the following is not directly a product of outgassing?
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oxygen
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Considering Earth's climate, what is the importance of the carbon dioxide (CO2) cycle?
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It helps regulates the carbon dioxide concentration in our atmosphere, keeping temperatures moderate.
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Suppose Earth were to cool down a little. How would the carbon dioxide cycle tend to restore temperatures to normal?
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Cooler temperatures lead to slower formation of carbonate minerals in the ocean, so carbon dioxide released by volcanism builds up in the atmosphere and strengthens the greenhouse effect.
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Which two factors are critical to the existence of the carbon dioxide (CO2) cycle on Earth?
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plate tectonics and liquid water oceans
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The atmospheres of Venus and Mars are primarily composed of carbon dioxide. Why is the surface of Venus so much hotter than the surface of Mars?
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Venus' atmosphere is thousands of times thicker than Mars' atmosphere.
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Why does Venus have such a large difference in temperature between its "no atmosphere" temperature and its actual temperature?
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It has a large amount of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere.
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All of the statements below are true. Which one gives the primary reason why the surface of Venus today is some 450°C hotter than the surface of Earth?
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Venus has a much stronger greenhouse effect than Earth.
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What is the importance of the carbon dioxide (CO2) cycle?
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It regulates the carbon dioxide concentration of our atmosphere, keeping temperatures moderate.
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What do we mean by a runaway greenhouse effect?
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a greenhouse effect that keeps getting stronger until all of a planet's greenhouse gases are in its atmosphere
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The greenhouse effect makes Earth warmer than it would be otherwise by about
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30 K.
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In the greenhouse effect, what is the direct cause of extra heating of the Earth's surface?
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Additional carbon dioxide makes the atmosphere more opaque to infrared light, trapping more of the infrared light emitted by Earth.
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Why do most scientists accept the claim that climate change is being caused by human activity?
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Levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide show a sharp increase since the industrial revolution.
Computer models correctly reproduce past climate variations.
Computer models that do not include the effects of human activity do not correctly predict the current trend of increasing temperatures.
Computer models that include the effects of human activity correctly predict the current trend of increasing temperatures.
all of the above
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In what ways is Earth different from the other terrestrial planets?
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Its lithosphere is broken into plates that move around.
It has a much higher percentage of oxygen in its atmosphere.
Life can be found almost everywhere on its surface.
Most of its surface is covered with liquid water.
All of the above are true.
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Suppose Earth's atmosphere had no greenhouse gases. This would cause Earth's average surface temperature to be
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well below the freezing point of water.
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What do we mean by a runaway greenhouse effect?
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a greenhouse effect that keeps getting stronger until all of a planet's greenhouse gases are in its atmosphere
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Which of the following is the most basic definition of a greenhouse gas?
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a gas that absorbs infrared light
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Which of the following best describes how the greenhouse effect works?
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A planet's surface absorbs visible sunlight and returns this absorbed energy to space as infrared light. Greenhouse gases slow the escape of this infrared radiation, which thereby heats the lower atmosphere.
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Why does the burning of fossil fuels increase the greenhouse effect on Earth?
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Burning releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
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Earth has been gradually warming over the past few decades. Based on a great deal of evidence, scientists believe that this warming is caused by ________.
answer
human activities that are increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere
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