Assignment 4 - 2023 ENVR200
.docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
McGill University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
200
Subject
Geography
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
3
Uploaded by ConstableRiverPheasant27
ENVR 200 --- Assignment #4
Student Name:
Student ID:
1.
[1 pt] Which of these observations cannot be used to infer information from past climates?
a)
The types of pollen found in lake sediments
b)
The O
18
:O
16
ratio
in lake sediments
c)
The C
14
:C
12
ratio of lake sediments
d)
The O
18
:O
16
ratio
in coral cores
e)
None of the above
2.
[1 pt] To the best of our knowledge, how has the sudden drainage of the Sea of Champlain and
of Lake Agassiz resulted in rapid cooldowns as recorded on the Greenland ice cores?
a)
The sudden water influx displaced ocean currents,
upsetting the thermohaline circulation,
cooling down northern areas like Greenland
b)
The sudden cold freshwater flow towards the ocean plunged underneath surface currents,
upsetting the thermohaline circulation
, cooling down northern areas like Greenland
c)
The sudden freshwater influx reduced the salinity of the surface ocean, shutting down the
sinking of dense water that drives
the thermohaline circulation, cooling down northern
areas like Greenland
d)
The sudden freshwater influx brought nutrients that stimulated phytoplankton that suddenly
removed CO
2
from the atmosphere, resulted in a rapid cooldown
e)
The sudden freshwater influx liberated fertile land areas on which plants could finally grow,
removing CO
2
from the atmosphere and resulting in a rapid cooldown
3.
[1 pt] Volcanic eruptions affect climate in a variety of ways. Which is not one of them?
a)
They eject CO
2
b)
They eject N
2
c)
They can eject dust particles in the stratosphere that partly reflect sunlight for a few years
d)
They eject dust particles in the troposphere that change the albedo of the atmosphere
locally
e)
They eject aerosols in the troposphere that can then change cloud brightness and lifetimes
4.
[4 pts] We believe that a billion years ago, the sun emitted 7% less energy than now. If the rate
of increase has been constant over that period, and the average temperature of the planet was
15°C in 1850, how much of a temperature increase would we expect to have seen between 1850
and 2023 if the change in solar illumination was the only factor affecting temperatures?
a)
0.000000018°C
b)
0.000000045°C
c)
0.00000018°C
d)
0.00000087°C
e)
0.0000035°C
5.
[1 pt] Climate models make predictions of temperature increases for this century averaging
about 3-4°C if we do not control emissions. We are expected to observe higher temperature
increases at night than during the day. Why?
a)
Higher greenhouse gas amounts increase infrared radiation day and night, but during the
day the sun’s radiation does not change
b)
Trees release more carbon dioxide at night, causing an increase in GHG
c)
The ocean breeze cools down the land at night
d)
Greenhouse gases increase the moon’s radiation at night
e)
Higher greenhouse gas amounts increase infrared radiation reaching the Earth at night more
than during the day
6.
[1 pt] Based on climate models, the “laissez-faire” SSP5-8.5 emission scenario would result in an
increase of 5°C in 2100 compared to pre-industrial temperatures. In comparison, the aggressive
SSP1-1.9 scenario would have a warming that is ___ % smaller:
a)
10%
b)
25%
c)
50%
d)
75%
e)
90%
7.
[2 pts] Early in the term, students in the ENVR200 classroom suffered from the heat. Provide two
ideas to resolve this problem (one sentence each), one entering in the category of mitigation and
one in the category of adaptation.
Mitigation:
Adaptation:
8.
[1 pt] Which pair(s) of characteristics best determine(s) the distribution of biomes? Select all
that apply.
a)
Latitude and elevation
b)
Precipitation and position of the continents
c)
Longitude and elevation
d)
Temperature and precipitation
e)
Orbital eccentricity and tilt
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help