OCG 123 Lab #1 Quiz Answers
Spring Semester 2002

Review of Chapters 1-3

1.      What are the four components of the earth system?

a.  hydrosphere                     c.  atmosphere

b.  biosphere (biota)             d.  solid earth 

2.   Greenhouse gases warm a planet’s surface by absorbing outgoing __infrared_______

      __radiation______ - radiant heat – and reradiating some of it back to the surface.

3.   The greenhouse effect is a real, natural process that keeps the surfaces of the Earth and other planets warmer then they would be in absence of an atmosphere.   __Global warming_________ is an increase in Earth’s surface temperature brought about by a combination of human activities, which release gases that _increase_ the greenhouse effect.

4.   When the Sun first formed some 4.6 billion years ago, mathematical models indicate that it should have been 30 % (brighter / less luminous) than it is today.

5.      __Feedback_______  is a self-perpetuating mechanism of change and response to that change.

6.   (Perturbation / Forcing) is a temporary disturbance of a system, such as a volcanic eruption that emits particles to the atmosphere, while a (perturbation / forcing) is a more persistent disturbance such as a gradual change in solar luminosity.

7.   The theoretical Daisyworld climate system is capable of resisting a warming trend induced by a sun that is becoming brighter with time.  This capacity is the result of a (positive / negative) feedback loop that involved the feedback between white-daisy coverage and temperature.

8.   Match the concentrations with the major atmospheric constituents listed below.

A.  78%   B.  21%     C 0.9%    D. 0.00001% (South Pole) – 4% (tropics)  E. ~0.036%

Argon, Ar        __C__       Carbon dioxide, CO₂       __E__      Oxygen, O₂      __B__

Nitrogen, N₂       __A__       Water Vapor, H₂O      __D__

9.   Which in the following list is not an atmospheric layer?

Mesosphere       Cenosphere      Troposphere       Stratosphere    Thermosphere

10.   Matching.    A. Cumulus    B. Stratus     C. Cirrus     D. Cumulonimbus

__C__  High, wispy clouds, composed of ice crystals   __A__  Puffy white clouds

__B__  Grey, low-level water clouds              __D__  Big, tall thunderstorm clouds