Earth's Changing Climate Review

Scientists have tools that measure the amount of energy entering and exiting the Earth system. Recently, more energy entered the system than exited. What might scientists expect to see in the atmosphere, and what has changed about energy in the Earth system?

• Methane decreased, leading to more energy in the Earth system and more energy absorbed by Earth's surface.

• Methane decreased, leading to less energy in the Earth system and less energy absorbed by Earth's surface.

• Methane increased, leading to more energy in the Earth system and more energy absorbed by Earth's surface.

• Methane increased, leading to less energy in the Earth system and less energy absorbed by Earth's surface.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

Ice core data from Greenland indicates there was a time period on Earth when the atmosphere changed so more energy entered the system than exited. What change to the atmosphere could have caused this and how would it have affected energy on Earth during that time?

• Carbon dioxide increased, leading to more energy in the Earth system because more exiting energy wasredirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• Carbon dioxide increased, leading to more energy in the Earth system because more energy was trapped by gases and held in the atmosphere.

• Carbon dioxide decreased, leading to less energy in the Earth system because less exiting energy wasredirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• Carbon dioxide decreased, leading to more energy in the Earth system because less energy from the sun was redirected (bounced) back toward outer space.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS2-6

Fossilized shells from the Pacific Ocean show that about 15 million years ago, there was a time period when carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased. What would have happened to the energy absorbed by Earth’s surface during this time?

During this time, energy absorbed by Earth’s surface

• stayed at a constant level.

• changed unpredictably.

• decreased.

• increased.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

A climatologist is creating a simulation for Earth’s climate and is working on how to set it up. One of the options for the simulation is to increase methane in the atmosphere. How should the energy in the Earth system change when the amount of methane in the atmosphere increases?

• more energy in the Earth system and more energy absorbed by Earth’s surface, because less energy enters than exits.

• more energy in the Earth system and more energy absorbed by Earth’s surface, because more energy enters than exits.

• less energy in the Earth system and less energy absorbed by Earth’s surface, because more energy enters than exits.

• less energy in the Earth system and less energy absorbed by Earth’s surface, because less energy enters than exits.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-2

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

From about 120 to 80 million years ago, scientists think that a large amount of carbon dioxide was released from rock on the ocean floor, which led to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What happened to energy in the Earth system during this time?

• increased, because less energy entered than exited. This is because more exiting energy was redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• increased, because more energy entered than exited. This is because more exiting energy was redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• increased, because more energy entered than exited. This is because more energy was trapped by gases and held in the atmosphere.

• decreased, because less energy entered than exited. This is because more energy from the sun wasredirected (bounced) back toward outer space.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS2-6

A climatologist was working with a computer simulation that models Earth’s climate and atmosphere. She set up the controls of the simulation to decrease the amount of methane in the atmosphere. What should happen to the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface?

When methane decreases, the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface should

• change unpredictably.

• stay at a constant level.

• increase.

• decrease.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS3-6

A scientist says that even if the amount of energy entering the system from the sun doesn’t change, there can still be less energy entering than exiting the Earth system. What could change in the atmosphere that would cause this and what effect would this have on energy in the Earth system?

• Methane could increase, leading to more energy in the Earth system because more exiting energy would be redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• Methane could increase, leading to less energy in the Earth system because more energy from the sun would be redirected (bounced) back toward outer space.

• Methane could decrease, leading to less energy in the Earth system because less exiting energy would be redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• Methane could decrease, leading to less energy in the Earth system because less energy would be trapped by gases and held in the atmosphere.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-2

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

What happens when energy hits sulfur dioxide?

• When energy hits sulfur dioxide, more energy is created.

• Sulfur dioxide traps some energy and holds it in the atmosphere.

• Sulfur dioxide redirects (bounces) some incoming energy from the sun back toward outer space.

• Energy always passes through sulfur dioxide.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

The Karoo Ice Age started about 360 million years ago and lasted for about 40 million years. During this time, less energy entered the Earth system than exited. What is one change to the atmosphere that could have caused this?

• Carbon dioxide decreased, leading to less energy in the Earth system because less energy was trapped by gases and held in the atmosphere.

• Carbon dioxide decreased, leading to less energy in the Earth system because less exiting energy was redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• Carbon dioxide increased, leading to more energy in the Earth system because more exiting energy was redirected (bounced) back toward Earth.

• Carbon dioxide increased, leading to less energy in the Earth system because more energy from the sun was redirected (bounced) back toward outer space.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

The Pleistocene Epoch lasted for about 2.6 million years. During this time, there were a few time periods when the amount of methane in the atmosphere decreased. What would scientists expect to observe about the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface during the time periods when methane decreased?

During these time periods, the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface . . .

• increased.

• decreased.

• stayed at a consistent level.

• changed unpredictably.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4