Climate Change Quiz

What do ice cores provide clues about?

• Humidity

• Temperature

• Wind speed

• Precipitation

What is the main cause of the roughly 100,000-year-long cycle of ice ages?

• Changes in Earth's orbit around the sun

• Magnetic pole shifts

• Volcanic eruptions

• Solar flares

What do ice cores contain that can be used to reconstruct the timing of volcanic eruptions?

• Microorganisms

• Dust and ash particles

• Salt crystals

• Pollen

What is the average rate of sea level rise between 15,000 and 8,000 years ago?

• About 5 mm/year

• About 10 mm/year

• About 25 mm/year

• About 14 mm/year

What caused the sea levels to start rising again about 200 years ago?

• Industrial agriculture

• Burning of fossil fuels

• Volcanic eruptions

• Deforestation

What is the combined ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica each year?

• More than half a trillion tons

• Exactly 1 trillion tons

• Less than 100 million tons

• Around 200 billion tons

What event marked the start of the Little Ice Age?

• Viking settlements in North America

• Fur trade in North America

• Eruption of Mt. Rinjani in Indonesia

• Black Death pandemic

What caused the abandonment of Viking colonies in Greenland and North America?

• Earthquakes

• Tsunamis

• Droughts

• Increasing levels of North Atlantic sea ice

What is the main use of varves in studying past climates?

• Measuring earthquake activity

• Determining ocean temperatures

• Analyzing volcanic eruptions

• Studying regional climates over the past few thousand years

What do fossil corals provide a record of?

• Ocean temperature, ocean pH, and regional rainfall amounts

• Atmospheric pressure changes

• Tectonic plate movements

• Solar radiation levels