GCE Exam 3 Questions &
Answers
Thermometers - ANSWERSHumans have been able to monitor temperatures since pre-industrial
times
Thermometers measure temperature using materials that change volume/density under
temperature
US Historical Climatology Network - ANSWERSVolunteers working for this group have been
taking measurements in the USA since 1891
Instrumental temperature measurements only go back into the mid 1800s, but climate proxies
are needed to measure temperatures from the distant past
Joesph Fourier - ANSWERSArgued that the earth's atmosphere acted like a greenhouse, letting
sunlight in but trapping heat
John Tyndall - ANSWERSCredited with discovering that water vapor and CO2 gases in the
atmosphere absorb infrared radiation
Eunice Foote - ANSWERSMade the same discovery as Tyndall but 3 years earlier
Svante Arrhenius - ANSWERSIn 1896, he published calculations demonstrating that CO2 could
alter global climate
He did all the calculations by hand, despite being complex and tedious
,He concluded that a reduction in the atmospheric CO2 levels to half the then existing ones
would result in a drop in temperature of the planet between 4 and 5 degrees C, which could
lead to massive cooling
In 1900 he calculated that emissions from human industry might someday bring a global
warming
Guy Callendar - ANSWERSBuilt the first global temperature model based on data collected all
around the world, and showed that the amount of CO2 that was being put into the atmosphere
was enough to cause temperature changes
Charles Keeling - ANSWERSDemonstrated that atmospheric CO2 was rising steadily around the
globe (keeling curve)
1960s - ANSWERSthe environmental movement develops in response to:
- Lead in the environment
- Mercury in the water
- Nuclear waste being dumped in the ocean
- Acid rain
- Air pollution
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Environmental protection laws increase rapidly during this period
EPA - ANSWERSin 1970, Nixon's executive order created this organization which:
- conducts and evaluates research
- monitors environmental quality
, - sets and enforces standards for pollution levels
- Assists states in meeting standards and goals
- Educates the public
Global Cooling Scare - ANSWERSThe hypothesis was that tiny airborne particles of soot, ash,
sulfur compounds, and other pollutants from burning coal were dimming the planet and making
the planet colder
Summer 1976 - ANSWERSHad a record heat wave that broke all previous records. Summers
began getting warmer and warmer from that point
Jimmy Carter - ANSWERS1978
- Asks the JASONS to investigate whether an increase in CO2 could cause global warming
- They identified that CO2 WILL make the planet warmer
Ronald Reagan - ANSWERSElected president in 1980
- Very pro-business
- Trickle down economics, tax breaks for businesses will trickle down to higher wages and more
job opportunities for workers
- Climate change does not fit well with this agenda, as adjustment would slow economic growth
William Nierenberg - ANSWERSDetermined that increased CO2 will make the planet warmer
BUT it will take a really long time for this to happen
Mid-1980s - ANSWERSScientists find evidence that climate CAN (and HAS) changed very quickly
- the ozone hole was discovered in 1985
Answers
Thermometers - ANSWERSHumans have been able to monitor temperatures since pre-industrial
times
Thermometers measure temperature using materials that change volume/density under
temperature
US Historical Climatology Network - ANSWERSVolunteers working for this group have been
taking measurements in the USA since 1891
Instrumental temperature measurements only go back into the mid 1800s, but climate proxies
are needed to measure temperatures from the distant past
Joesph Fourier - ANSWERSArgued that the earth's atmosphere acted like a greenhouse, letting
sunlight in but trapping heat
John Tyndall - ANSWERSCredited with discovering that water vapor and CO2 gases in the
atmosphere absorb infrared radiation
Eunice Foote - ANSWERSMade the same discovery as Tyndall but 3 years earlier
Svante Arrhenius - ANSWERSIn 1896, he published calculations demonstrating that CO2 could
alter global climate
He did all the calculations by hand, despite being complex and tedious
,He concluded that a reduction in the atmospheric CO2 levels to half the then existing ones
would result in a drop in temperature of the planet between 4 and 5 degrees C, which could
lead to massive cooling
In 1900 he calculated that emissions from human industry might someday bring a global
warming
Guy Callendar - ANSWERSBuilt the first global temperature model based on data collected all
around the world, and showed that the amount of CO2 that was being put into the atmosphere
was enough to cause temperature changes
Charles Keeling - ANSWERSDemonstrated that atmospheric CO2 was rising steadily around the
globe (keeling curve)
1960s - ANSWERSthe environmental movement develops in response to:
- Lead in the environment
- Mercury in the water
- Nuclear waste being dumped in the ocean
- Acid rain
- Air pollution
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Environmental protection laws increase rapidly during this period
EPA - ANSWERSin 1970, Nixon's executive order created this organization which:
- conducts and evaluates research
- monitors environmental quality
, - sets and enforces standards for pollution levels
- Assists states in meeting standards and goals
- Educates the public
Global Cooling Scare - ANSWERSThe hypothesis was that tiny airborne particles of soot, ash,
sulfur compounds, and other pollutants from burning coal were dimming the planet and making
the planet colder
Summer 1976 - ANSWERSHad a record heat wave that broke all previous records. Summers
began getting warmer and warmer from that point
Jimmy Carter - ANSWERS1978
- Asks the JASONS to investigate whether an increase in CO2 could cause global warming
- They identified that CO2 WILL make the planet warmer
Ronald Reagan - ANSWERSElected president in 1980
- Very pro-business
- Trickle down economics, tax breaks for businesses will trickle down to higher wages and more
job opportunities for workers
- Climate change does not fit well with this agenda, as adjustment would slow economic growth
William Nierenberg - ANSWERSDetermined that increased CO2 will make the planet warmer
BUT it will take a really long time for this to happen
Mid-1980s - ANSWERSScientists find evidence that climate CAN (and HAS) changed very quickly
- the ozone hole was discovered in 1985
