Environmental Science Climate Change and Atmosphere 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which layer of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer that protects Earth from UV radiation?
- Troposphere
- Stratosphere (Correct answer)
- Mesosphere
- Thermosphere
Correct answer: Stratosphere
The stratospheric ozone layer (15–35 km altitude) absorbs harmful UV-B and UV-C radiation from the sun.
Question 2: What is the global warming potential (GWP) of methane compared to COâ‚‚ over a 100-year timeframe?
- About 5 times greater
- About 28–36 times greater (Correct answer)
- About equal
- About 300 times greater
Correct answer: About 28–36 times greater
Methane's 100-year GWP is approximately 28–36 times that of CO₂, making it a potent but shorter-lived greenhouse gas.
Question 3: Which international agreement, adopted in 2015, aims to limit global temperature rise to 1.5–2°C above pre-industrial levels?
- Kyoto Protocol
- Montreal Protocol
- Paris Agreement (Correct answer)
- Rio Declaration
Correct answer: Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement commits nations to nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to reduce emissions and limit warming.
Question 4: Rising sea levels due to climate change are primarily caused by two processes. What are they?
- More rainfall and dam construction
- Thermal expansion of seawater and melting land ice (Correct answer)
- Ocean acidification and increased evaporation
- El Niño events and tidal changes
Correct answer: Thermal expansion of seawater and melting land ice
Warmer water expands (thermal expansion) and melting glaciers/ice sheets add water volume, both raising sea levels.
Question 5: Which feedback mechanism amplifies warming by reducing Earth's reflectivity as polar ice melts?
- Carbon cycle feedback
- Ice-albedo feedback (Correct answer)
- Water vapor feedback
- Planck feedback
Correct answer: Ice-albedo feedback
As ice melts, it exposes darker ocean or land surfaces with lower albedo, absorbing more solar energy and warming further.
Question 6: What is the Keeling Curve?
- A graph of global temperature anomalies since 1850
- A continuous record of atmospheric COâ‚‚ concentration at Mauna Loa (Correct answer)
- A plot of Arctic sea ice extent over time
- A map of ocean acidity changes
Correct answer: A continuous record of atmospheric COâ‚‚ concentration at Mauna Loa
The Keeling Curve is the continuous record of atmospheric COâ‚‚ measured at Mauna Loa Observatory since 1958.
Environmental Science Climate Change and Atmosphere 1
Which layer of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer that protects Earth from UV radiation?