Geog 207
Climate Quest
Summer 2007
Homework Assignment
Review of “An Inconvenient Truth”
Instructions:
Watch the video, “An Inconvenient Truth” with Al Gore, listen carefully, and make notes on the answers to the following questions. Then choose five of the following questions to answer for this homework assignment, plus everyone should answer question No.17. Some of these are open-ended questions that have more than one correct answer. Therefore, don’t stress about what might be exactly the right answer. Write each answer in one or more sentences, using proper grammar and spelling. Indicate the number of each question you are answering. We will go over the answers in class on the first day, Monday, July 9th.1. Why does Mr. Gore say that the earth’s atmosphere can be vulnerable to change by human actions?
2. What does the record from Mauna Loa of increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 1958 through 2005 indicate?
3. What has happened to the glaciers in Glacier National Park? On Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya? Nepal, Italy, Switzerland, Patagonia?
4. What kind of information can scientists get about the past from glacial ice cores?
5. About how far back in time do Antarctic ice cores go? What has been the highest average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (in parts per million) during this time period?
6. What is the relationship shown between mean carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and mean global temperature?
7. During what time period have the ten hottest years on record occurred?
8. What is the relationship between increasing ocean temperatures and intensity of tropical storms and hurricanes?
9. How is global warming affecting precipitation amounts (more or less) from place to place in the world?
10. About how much has Arctic sea ice decreased in thickness and extent over the past 400 years?
11. Why did Mr. Gore tell the story of the ocean conveyor belt (transporting heat from the tropics to the poles) and how it stopped at the end of the last ice age?
12. What events could cause sea level to rise about 20 feet globally, compared with present sea level? What would be some of the potential effects of this rise in sea level?
13. Why is there concern regarding population increases world wide?
14. About how much does the U.S. population contribute to global warming from carbon emissions?
15. Why shouldn’t U.S. automobiles be required to be more fuel efficient (or why should they)?
16. What can we as individuals do to decrease our contributions to greenhouse gas emissions?
17. What did you think of the autobiographical portions of Gore’s presentation? What do you think he was trying to say by including this in the film? Do you think it added to or detracted from the effectiveness of the video? Why?
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