CAP Climate Science & Atmospheric Systems 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which atmospheric layer contains the ozone layer that absorbs harmful UV radiation?
- Troposphere
- Stratosphere (Correct answer)
- Mesosphere
- Thermosphere
Correct answer: Stratosphere
The stratosphere, extending from about 12 to 50 km altitude, contains the ozone layer that absorbs most of the sun's ultraviolet radiation.
Question 2: What is the primary driver of the ocean's thermohaline circulation, often called the 'global conveyor belt'?
- Wind patterns at the surface
- Differences in water temperature and salinity (Correct answer)
- Tidal forces from the moon
- Underwater volcanic activity
Correct answer: Differences in water temperature and salinity
Thermohaline circulation is driven by density differences caused by variations in water temperature and salinity, which move vast amounts of heat around the planet.
Question 3: Which feedback mechanism causes Arctic ice loss to accelerate warming by exposing darker ocean surfaces?
- Planck feedback
- Ice-albedo feedback (Correct answer)
- Water vapor feedback
- Lapse rate feedback
Correct answer: Ice-albedo feedback
The ice-albedo feedback occurs because melting sea ice exposes dark ocean water that absorbs more solar radiation than reflective ice, amplifying warming.
Question 4: The Keeling Curve, initiated at Mauna Loa in 1958, primarily tracks which atmospheric measurement?
- Global mean surface temperature
- Atmospheric CO₂ concentration (Correct answer)
- Sea level rise
- Arctic ice extent
Correct answer: Atmospheric CO₂ concentration
The Keeling Curve is the continuous record of atmospheric CO₂ concentrations measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory, showing both seasonal oscillations and a long-term rising trend.
Question 5: What percentage of Earth's natural greenhouse effect is attributed to water vapor?
- Approximately 10–15%
- Approximately 25–30%
- Approximately 50–60% (Correct answer)
- Approximately 80–90%
Correct answer: Approximately 50–60%
Water vapor accounts for roughly 50–60% of Earth's natural greenhouse effect, making it the most abundant greenhouse gas by warming contribution.
Question 6: Which paleoclimate proxy is commonly used to reconstruct ancient atmospheric CO₂ concentrations extending hundreds of thousands of years back?
- Tree rings (dendrochronology)
- Coral skeletons
- Ice core air bubbles (Correct answer)
- Deep-sea sediment foraminifera
Correct answer: Ice core air bubbles
Air bubbles trapped in ice cores preserve ancient atmospheric samples, allowing direct measurement of past CO₂ levels going back 800,000+ years.
Question 7: In the context of climate science, what does 'radiative forcing' measure?
- The rate at which the sun emits radiation
- The net change in energy flux at the tropopause due to a climate driver (Correct answer)
- The amount of radiation absorbed by the ocean
- The temperature difference between poles and equator
Correct answer: The net change in energy flux at the tropopause due to a climate driver
Radiative forcing quantifies the change in energy flux (in W/m²) in the atmosphere caused by natural or anthropogenic factors, used to compare the effectiveness of different climate drivers.
CAP Climate Science & Atmospheric Systems 2
Which atmospheric layer contains the ozone layer that absorbs harmful UV radiation?