Practice Test Geeks(CCP) Certified Climate Change Professional Practice Test
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Climate Change Science & Modeling Flashcards

7 cards from real CCP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Climate Change Science & Modeling flashcards as text

  1. Which component of the climate system has the largest heat capacity and therefore the greatest influence on moderating temperature change?

    Answer: The ocean

    The ocean stores ~93% of the excess heat in the climate system due to water's high heat capacity and vast volume.

  2. In General Circulation Models (GCMs), what does 'resolution' refer to?

    Answer: The spatial grid spacing and temporal time steps used in calculations

    Model resolution refers to the size of the grid cells (horizontal and vertical) and the time step length, which determine the scale of processes that can be explicitly represented.

  3. What is 'climate sensitivity' most commonly defined as?

    Answer: The equilibrium global mean temperature rise from a doubling of atmospheric CO₂

    Equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) is the long-term global mean surface temperature increase resulting from a sustained doubling of CO₂ relative to pre-industrial levels.

  4. Which process best explains why the stratosphere has cooled while the troposphere has warmed due to increased CO₂?

    Answer: CO₂ trapping outgoing radiation in the troposphere, reducing energy reaching the stratosphere

    Increased CO₂ absorbs more outgoing longwave radiation in the troposphere, reducing the energy available to heat the stratosphere, causing stratospheric cooling—a key fingerprint of greenhouse warming.

  5. What is 'ocean acidification' caused by?

    Answer: Absorption of atmospheric CO₂ forming carbonic acid in seawater

    Oceans absorb about 25% of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, which reacts with water to form carbonic acid, lowering ocean pH.

  6. Which scenario framework does the IPCC AR6 use to project future climate?

    Answer: Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs)

    AR6 uses Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), which combine socioeconomic narratives with radiative forcing levels (e.g., SSP1-2.6, SSP5-8.5).

  7. What is the significance of the 'carbon budget' concept in climate science?

    Answer: It quantifies the total CO₂ emissions allowable to remain below a temperature target

    The remaining carbon budget estimates the maximum cumulative CO₂ emissions compatible with limiting warming to 1.5°C or 2°C, providing a science-based limit for policy.