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AP Environmental Science Unit 9: Global Change

12 questions

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Unit 9: Global Change

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Question 1

Which of the following actions most directly addresses climate change by reducing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations (mitigation), as opposed to adapting to climate change impacts?

A.Building sea walls to protect coastal cities from rising sea levelsB.Developing drought-resistant crop varieties for farming in hotter, drier conditionsC.Replacing coal power plants with utility-scale solar and wind energyD.Relocating coastal communities threatened by storm surge

Question 2

Global average surface temperatures have increased approximately 1.1°C since the pre-industrial period. Which of the following is a documented consequence of this warming?

A.Expansion of glaciers and polar ice sheets globallyB.Sea level rise due to thermal expansion of seawater and melting of land iceC.Decreased intensity of tropical storms due to warmer sea surface temperatures limiting convectionD.A slowdown in the global water cycle as warmer air holds less moisture

Question 3

Positive feedback loops amplify the initial effect of climate warming. Which of the following is an example of a positive climate feedback?

A.Increased cloud cover reflecting more solar radiation, reducing surface warmingB.Melting Arctic sea ice exposes darker ocean water, absorbing more heat and accelerating warmingC.Ocean absorption of CO₂ from the atmosphere, slowing the greenhouse effectD.Increased vegetation in the Arctic as temperatures rise, absorbing more CO₂

Question 4

An invasive species is introduced to a new habitat. Which combination of factors MOST typically explains its population explosion in the new environment?

A.It encounters more competitors in the new habitat than in its native range.B.It lacks natural predators, parasites, and pathogens in the new environment, and finds abundant resources.C.Its reproductive rate is inherently higher than all native species.D.The new habitat's climate is identical to its native range, ensuring immediate adaptation.

Question 5

Rising global temperatures are shifting the geographic ranges of many species poleward and to higher elevations. A species living on a mountaintop that cannot move higher as temperatures rise faces:

A.Climate-driven extinction due to range compression with no suitable habitat remainingB.Competitive exclusion by species migrating downslope to the valleyC.Enhanced fitness because warmer temperatures increase metabolic ratesD.Rapid evolution that allows it to adapt to the new temperature regime within a generation

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Question 6

Which conservation strategy is most likely to protect the greatest number of species across a landscape?

A.Captive breeding programs for individually endangered speciesB.Protecting large, contiguous core reserves connected by habitat corridorsC.Focusing protection on charismatic megafauna as umbrella speciesD.Banning all human activities across a small, intensively managed reserve

Question 7

Ice core data from Antarctica and Greenland are used as evidence for past climate change. What property of ice cores provides the most direct record of past atmospheric CO₂ concentrations?

A.Isotopic ratios of oxygen (¹⁸O/¹⁶O) in the ice crystalsB.Air bubbles trapped in the ice that preserved ancient atmosphere samplesC.Volcanic ash layers that correlate with carbon-rich periodsD.The depth of annual snow layers, which correlates with CO₂ concentration

Question 8

The Paris Agreement (2015) established a goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with efforts to limit to 1.5°C. This agreement operates primarily through:

A.Legally binding, enforced carbon taxes on all signatory nationsB.Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) — voluntary pledges by each nation to reduce emissionsC.A global cap-and-trade system distributing emissions allowances to each countryD.Mandatory phase-out of fossil fuels within 10 years of ratification

Question 9

The oceans have absorbed approximately 25–30% of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. The primary chemical consequence of this is:

A.Increased ocean productivity because CO₂ fertilizes phytoplankton photosynthesisB.Ocean acidification — lowered pH that reduces carbonate ion availability, threatening calcifying organismsC.Increased ocean oxygen content as dissolved CO₂ displaces nitrogenD.Formation of methane hydrates at the ocean surface from dissolved CO₂

Question 10

The concept of carbon sequestration refers to:

A.The release of stored carbon from soils and vegetation into the atmosphereB.The long-term storage of carbon dioxide in biological or geological reservoirsC.The conversion of CO₂ to ozone in the stratosphereD.The combustion of biomass to release stored solar energy

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Question 11

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports conclude that global warming since 1950 is 'unequivocally' caused primarily by:

A.Increased solar output from the sunB.Human activities, primarily burning fossil fuels and deforestation, increasing greenhouse gas concentrationsC.Natural volcanic eruptions releasing large quantities of CO₂ and aerosolsD.Natural Milankovitch orbital cycles shifting Earth's position relative to the sun

Question 12

Methane (CH₄) contributes to global warming despite being present at far lower atmospheric concentrations than CO₂. The reason methane is such a significant greenhouse gas concern is that:

A.Methane lasts longer in the atmosphere than CO₂ (thousands of years vs. ~12 years)B.Methane's global warming potential (GWP) is ~80× that of CO₂ over a 20-year timeframe, so even small mass emissions cause significant warmingC.Methane blocks more ultraviolet radiation than CO₂, protecting stratospheric ozoneD.Methane is heavier than air and accumulates at ground level, trapping heat more efficiently near the surface

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