AMS Climate Studies Student Pre-Test

1. Which heat-trapping (greenhouse) gas has the greatest concentration in the atmosphere?
d. water vapor

2. All of the following processes release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere EXCEPT __________.
c. photosynthesis by green plants on land and algae in water

3. Perturbations in the radiative forcings of climate include all of the following EXCEPT __________.
c. changes in the flow of infrared radiation from Earth to space

4. The radiation emitted by the Earth system peaks in the __________ portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
a. infrared

5. Contributors to the IPCC assessment reports include more than 2000 scientists from __________.
c. over 150 nations

6. What is the ultimate source of energy driving Earth’s climate system?
d. the Sun

7. The changing seasons on Earth are caused by __________.
a. the tilt of the Earth on its axis relative to the plane of its orbit around the Sun.

8. The warmest climates on Earth are located near the tropics because this region __________.
a. is much closer to the Sun

9. Which one of the following surfaces has the highest albedo for visible solar radiation?
a. ocean water

10. The major reason for the upward trend in atmospheric carbon dioxide since the mid-1800s is __________.
b. the burning of fossil fuels

11. Heat is transported from the Earth's surface into the troposphere via __________.
d. All of the above are correct.

12. Viewed from above in the Northern Hemisphere, surface winds about a center of high pressure blow __________.
a. clockwise and inward

13. In the Northern Hemisphere, currents flowing at the ocean’s surface along the East coast of major continents from lower latitudes would carry __________.
b. cool water toward the south

14. A monsoon climate typically features __________.
a. wet summers and dry winters

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