ES 200 NCSU FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS 2026 VERIFIED.
The average of temperature and precipitation over a 30-year period is used to define a region's
climate. Two widespread climate types found in NC are: - ANS Oceanic and Humid subtropical
A major source of climate change assessments is the IPCC whose full name is: -
ANS Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Normal precipitation in the NC Piedmont and Coastal Plain ranges between: - ANS 40-50 in.
The isotopes of oxygen differ in the number of _____________ in their nucleus. -
ANS neutrons
Reliable records of air temperature measurements go back about 200 years. To estimate
temperatures older than 200 years we have to use proxies that allow us to estimate
temperature from them. Examples of proxies include:
- Oxygen isotopes
- Stomata in fossil leaves
- Tree rings
- Pollen
- All of the above - ANS All of the above
Oxygen isotopes are used to estimate temperatures of the past. The ratio of 18O to 16O
(18O/16O) is measured as a proxy for temperature. During colder periods the ratio of 18O/16O
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 1 OF 17
,in ocean water is larger than in warmer periods because: - ANS More 16O is locked up in ice
on land.
As the Earth cooled over time, glaciers formed and advanced into the U.S. from Canada. This
occurred during the ________________ epoch. - ANS Pleistocene
Glaciers are slowly moving sheets of ice. Evidence on the land shows they advanced or grew,
and then melted back at least five times over the last million years or so. One theory for their
advance and retreat is referred to as the Milankovitch Cycles which are used to explain how the
earth could cool and then warm up again in cycles. The reason(s) for the cooling and warming
are:
- The gravitational pull of Jupiter and Saturn on the Earth which pulls it further from the sun.
- Wobbling or movement of the Earth's axis of rotation caused by tidal forces from the sun.
- A change in the tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation toward the sun which produces hotter
summers and colder winters.
- All of the above
- A and B above - ANS all of the above
Temperature anomalies are used to summarize temperature data from around the world.
Anomalies are calculated for individual weather stations on a given day by subtracting the
temperature on that day from: - ANS a baseline of average temperature determined over a
number of years from the same station for the day in question
El Nino events occur periodically when the winds blowing westward across the ocean have
become weaker or changed direction. When these events occur the water off the west coast of
South America becomes _______________. - ANS warmer
Sea level is rising as global temperatures rise. The causes of sea level rise include the melting of
ice sheets as well as glaciers. Another and potentially larger cause of sea level rise is: -
ANS water expands on warming
NC is comprised of major land regions that formed by different geological processes. The land
region formed as a result of high sea levels is the: - ANS coastal plain
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 2 OF 17
, The sun emits radiation in the visible range while the Earth emits radiation in the infrared range.
This is because: - ANS the sun is hotter than the earth
T/F: Water vapor is the greenhouse gas that absorbs more wavelengths of electromagnetic
radiation than any other greenhouse gas.
true - ANS true
What are the major greenhouse gases? - ANS carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide
Energy balance models for the Earth have shown that the amount of incoming energy from the
sun is slightly greater than the amount of energy re-emitted back into space. As a result the
Earth is warming. Where is most of the excess energy being stored? - ANS ocean
The Earth's surface receives from the sun approximately 161 Wm-2 of energy that passes
through the atmosphere and is absorbed by land or water. It also receives an amount of
radiation from the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The amount of radiation from the
greenhouse gases that is emitted downward back to earth is approximately: [Hint: is the
radiation greater than, less than, or about equal to [161 Wm-2] - ANS 342 Wm-2
T/F: Polar regions of the earth are heating up faster than equatorial regions. - ANS true
If the amount of CO2 is doubled then the Earth's surface temperature should eventually rise.
The rise in temperature is caused by more infrared radiation being emitted by the greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere. Why does the increased CO2 cause more radiation to be returned to
Earth?
- The CO2 gas in the atmosphere warms up as it absorbs more energy.
- The atmosphere itself warms up and emits more infrared radiation some of which comes back
to Earth.
- The amount of visible light reaching the earth is not absorbed by the atmosphere and plays no
role in the additional warming.
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 3 OF 17
AND ANSWERS 2026 VERIFIED.
The average of temperature and precipitation over a 30-year period is used to define a region's
climate. Two widespread climate types found in NC are: - ANS Oceanic and Humid subtropical
A major source of climate change assessments is the IPCC whose full name is: -
ANS Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Normal precipitation in the NC Piedmont and Coastal Plain ranges between: - ANS 40-50 in.
The isotopes of oxygen differ in the number of _____________ in their nucleus. -
ANS neutrons
Reliable records of air temperature measurements go back about 200 years. To estimate
temperatures older than 200 years we have to use proxies that allow us to estimate
temperature from them. Examples of proxies include:
- Oxygen isotopes
- Stomata in fossil leaves
- Tree rings
- Pollen
- All of the above - ANS All of the above
Oxygen isotopes are used to estimate temperatures of the past. The ratio of 18O to 16O
(18O/16O) is measured as a proxy for temperature. During colder periods the ratio of 18O/16O
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 1 OF 17
,in ocean water is larger than in warmer periods because: - ANS More 16O is locked up in ice
on land.
As the Earth cooled over time, glaciers formed and advanced into the U.S. from Canada. This
occurred during the ________________ epoch. - ANS Pleistocene
Glaciers are slowly moving sheets of ice. Evidence on the land shows they advanced or grew,
and then melted back at least five times over the last million years or so. One theory for their
advance and retreat is referred to as the Milankovitch Cycles which are used to explain how the
earth could cool and then warm up again in cycles. The reason(s) for the cooling and warming
are:
- The gravitational pull of Jupiter and Saturn on the Earth which pulls it further from the sun.
- Wobbling or movement of the Earth's axis of rotation caused by tidal forces from the sun.
- A change in the tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation toward the sun which produces hotter
summers and colder winters.
- All of the above
- A and B above - ANS all of the above
Temperature anomalies are used to summarize temperature data from around the world.
Anomalies are calculated for individual weather stations on a given day by subtracting the
temperature on that day from: - ANS a baseline of average temperature determined over a
number of years from the same station for the day in question
El Nino events occur periodically when the winds blowing westward across the ocean have
become weaker or changed direction. When these events occur the water off the west coast of
South America becomes _______________. - ANS warmer
Sea level is rising as global temperatures rise. The causes of sea level rise include the melting of
ice sheets as well as glaciers. Another and potentially larger cause of sea level rise is: -
ANS water expands on warming
NC is comprised of major land regions that formed by different geological processes. The land
region formed as a result of high sea levels is the: - ANS coastal plain
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 2 OF 17
, The sun emits radiation in the visible range while the Earth emits radiation in the infrared range.
This is because: - ANS the sun is hotter than the earth
T/F: Water vapor is the greenhouse gas that absorbs more wavelengths of electromagnetic
radiation than any other greenhouse gas.
true - ANS true
What are the major greenhouse gases? - ANS carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide
Energy balance models for the Earth have shown that the amount of incoming energy from the
sun is slightly greater than the amount of energy re-emitted back into space. As a result the
Earth is warming. Where is most of the excess energy being stored? - ANS ocean
The Earth's surface receives from the sun approximately 161 Wm-2 of energy that passes
through the atmosphere and is absorbed by land or water. It also receives an amount of
radiation from the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The amount of radiation from the
greenhouse gases that is emitted downward back to earth is approximately: [Hint: is the
radiation greater than, less than, or about equal to [161 Wm-2] - ANS 342 Wm-2
T/F: Polar regions of the earth are heating up faster than equatorial regions. - ANS true
If the amount of CO2 is doubled then the Earth's surface temperature should eventually rise.
The rise in temperature is caused by more infrared radiation being emitted by the greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere. Why does the increased CO2 cause more radiation to be returned to
Earth?
- The CO2 gas in the atmosphere warms up as it absorbs more energy.
- The atmosphere itself warms up and emits more infrared radiation some of which comes back
to Earth.
- The amount of visible light reaching the earth is not absorbed by the atmosphere and plays no
role in the additional warming.
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 3 OF 17
