Earth's Changing Climate Critical Juncture

Climate researchers are creating a computer simulation to help them understand changes in the Earth system. They want to use the simulation to see what happens when they increase the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What should their simulation show about energy absorbed by Earth’s surface? When carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases, the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface should...

• increase.

• decrease.

• stay at a constant level.

• change unpredictably.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

The graph shows global temperature changes between the years 1880 and 2011. Which of the following best describes the changes seen in the graph?

• The graph shows a trend of increasing temperature over time.

• The graph shows temperatures go up and down, with no trend.

• The graph shows the Annual Mean and 5-Year Mean have different trends.

• The graph shows too much fluctuation to be confident about a trend.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

Scientists are using a computer simulation to test ideas about climate on Earth. Looking at one period of time in the simulation, they notice that more energy entered the Earth system than exited. How might the amount of carbon dioxide have changed to cause this, and how would this have changed the energy in the Earth system? In the simulation,

• carbon dioxide decreased, leading to more energy in the Earth system and more energy absorbed by Earth’s surface.

• carbon dioxide decreased, leading to less energy in the Earth system and less energy absorbed by Earth’s surface.

• carbon dioxide increased, leading to less energy in the Earth system and less energy absorbed by Earth’s surface.

• carbon dioxide increased, leading to more energy in the Earth system and more energy absorbed by Earth’s surface.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS2-6

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

Scientists found evidence of a time period 3 billion years ago when less energy entered the Earth system than exited. What is one change to the atmosphere that could have caused this, and how did it change the amount of energy in the Earth system?

• 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.

• 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.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

Which of the following are consequences of climate change?

• Glaciers are shrinking and sea levels are rising

• Heat wave are longer and more intense

• Plant and animal habitat ranges are shifting

• All of the above

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

The gradual increase in the average temperature of our planet Earth is called

• Greenhouse Effect

• Global Warming

• Greenland Effect

• Ice Age

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

The gradual increase in the average temperature of our planet Earth is called?

• Greenhouse Effect

• Global Warming

• Greenland Effect

• Ice Age

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS2-6

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

Using evidence from rocks, scientists have found that from 300 to 290 million years ago, the amount of methane in the atmosphere increased. What happened to the energy absorbed by Earth's surface during this time? During this time, the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface...

• stayed at a constant level.

• changed unpredictably.

• increased.

• decreased.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

What is one reason that carbon dioxide is increasing in the atmosphere today?

• There are more volcanoes than there were in the past.

• People are riding bicycles instead of driving cars.

• There are more people doing things that use combustion.

• People are using solar power.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-6

Climate researchers in Greenland can use ice core samples to tell them about carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the past. The researchers have found an ice core sample that shows there was a period when carbon dioxide in the atmosphere decreased. What happened to the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface during this time? During this time, the amount of energy absorbed by Earth’s surface...

• decreased.

• increased.

• stayed at a constant level.

• changed unpredictably.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4