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This page shows questions in the Global Cooling public release module at MSDE. Life Science MISA
"Global Cooling"

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Expand All Official Practice Test

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Sulfuric Acid Cooling Effect

Students studying global warming learned that some events on Earth slow the rate of atmospheric warming. Global temperatures have been rising since the mid-1900s. However, between 2000 and 2010, the global temperature did not increase as much as scientists expected. The scientists proposed that an increase in sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere reduced the rate of warming. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) reacts with water (H₂O) in the upper atmosphere (stratosphere) to form sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄). Sulfuric acid molecules reflect sunlight away from Earth's surface. The scientists estimated that since the year 2000 sulfur dioxide emissions have reduced warming of the atmosphere by as much as 25%.

There are two main sources of sulfur dioxide: emissions from volcanoes and from the burning of coal. Many countries still use coal as their primary source of energy. For example, India and China have increased their sulfur dioxide emissions by 60% from 2000 to 2010.

The scientists used two computer models to simulate ten years of global atmospheric activity. The models allowed the scientists to separate emissions from volcanoes and from coal burning. The models revealed that emissions from volcanoes were the primary source of the increase in atmospheric sulfur dioxide. This model shows how sulfuric acid in volcanic ash reduces the warming effect of sunlight at Earth's surface.

The model is titled Volcanic Ash Clouds. An area labeled Stratosphere is at the top of the diagram. A dotted line separates the stratosphere from an area below it labeled Troposphere. A stretch of flat land with a volcano to the left is below the troposphere. There is a cloud coming out of the top of the volcano with the label Ash. Another cloud labeled capital S capital O two with an arrow pointing to the right is to the right of the Ash label. Another cloud with small white circles in it is to the right of the arrow. It is labeled capital H two capital S capital O four. Above the cloud, there are three wavy arrows labeled Incoming sunlight pointing downward into the cloud. There are two wavy arrows pointing down from the bottom of this cloud and one wavy arrow pointing up from the top of the cloud.

Large eruptions of volcanoes affect global temperatures. The graph shows the dates of some large volcanic eruptions from 1950 to 2000 and the change in global temperatures.

The graph is titled Global Temperature Change. The x-axis is labeled Year. The y-axis is labeled Temperature Change in degrees Celsius. The key shows that a triangle represents a volcanic eruption. The x-axis begins with nineteen fifty and continues to the right in ten-year increments to two thousand. The y-axis begins with negative zero point four. It continues upward in zero point two increments to zero point six. There is a varying data point line that begins at the y-axis at approximately negative zero point zero three in the year 1950 and ends in the year 2000 at about zero point four five. Years 1962, 1982, and 1992 each have a triangle on the x-axis. At these years the temperature data line decreases by approximately zero point zero five to zero point two over a period of three to five years afterward for each volcanic eruption.

This is test content.

Sunlight Energy

The students want to know more about how the amount of sunlight reaching Earth's surface affects the amount of warming. The students choose to build a solar water heater to model ocean water warming using the design shown.

The students design is titled Solar Water Heater. The diagram shows an insulated wooden box with a glass cover. A ten-liter metal tank is Inside the box. A sheet of foil lines the inside of the box. Wavy arrows pointing to the outside of the box are labeled Incoming sunlight. There is a plastic pipe coming out of the top of the tank and exiting the left side of the box. The pipe turns downward at the end and is labeled Hot water output. There is also a plastic pipe entering the left side of the box and the heating tank. It is labeled Cool water input.

The students test their design by placing the device on a sunlit table on a warm afternoon. They fill the tank with 10 L of water and allow it to heat for four hours in full sunlight. The students estimate the amount of solar energy input the device receives based on researched values for their location and the date converted to kilojoules (kJ). The students also take into account the box cover's area and the time of day when calculating the input. They repeat their procedure on two more afternoons. The table shows their data.

The title of the table is Water Heater Results. The table has four columns and three rows. The first column heading is Trial. The second column heading is Solar Energy Input in kiloJoules. The third column heading is Water Temperature Increase in degrees Celsius. The fourth column heading is Water Energy Gain in kiloJoules. The first row is one, one thousand seven hundred twenty-eight, twenty-five, one thousand thirty-eight. The second row is two, one thousand eight hundred ninety-nine, twenty-seven, one thousand one hundred forty-two. The third row is three, two thousand ninety, thirty, one thousand two hundred fifty-five.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Based on the Volcanic Ash Clouds model, which statement best describes how volcanic eruptions affect the input of energy in the troposphere?

  1. A.
    More volcanic emissions decrease the solar energy input.
  2. B.
    More reflection in the stratosphere increases the solar energy input.
  3. C.
    More sulfuric acid in the stratosphere increases the solar energy input.
  4. D.
    More rays of sunlight reaching the troposphere decrease the solar energy input.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Based on the Global Temperature Change graph, which time scale best describes the duration of atmospheric cooling caused by large volcanoes?

  1. A.
    a few months
  2. B.
    about 5 years
  3. C.
    about 10 years
  4. D.
    a few decades

This is a question with 2 parts, including a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Part A

Which effect is caused by sunlight being reflected by sulfuric acid?

  1. A.
    troposphere cools
  2. B.
    troposphere warms
  3. C.
    stratosphere warms
  4. D.
    stratosphere has more sulfuric acid molecules

Part B

Which most immediate effect is caused by an increase in the amount of sulfur dioxide emissions?

  1. A.
    troposphere cools
  2. B.
    troposphere warms
  3. C.
    stratosphere warms
  4. D.
    stratosphere has more sulfuric acid molecules

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Which statement identifies the energy conversion taking place in the water heater?

  1. A.
    Solar energy is being converted into thermal energy.
  2. B.
    Kinetic energy is being converted into solar energy.
  3. C.
    Light energy is being converted into mechanical energy.
  4. D.
    Kinetic energy is being converted into mechanical energy.
  5. E.
    Thermal energy is being converted into mechanical energy.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Why is the amount of energy gained by the water in the solar water heater less than the amount of incoming energy?

  1. A.
    Most of the sunlight is being reflected rather than absorbed.
  2. B.
    Some thermal energy is transferred to the air and metal inside the box.
  3. C.
    The angle of incoming sunlight changes when it passes through the glass cover.
  4. D.
    The insulation around the box prevents thermal energy from being transferred from the outside air.

This is a test question that allows you to enter extended text in your response.

Design a modification to the solar water heater device that will model the effects of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere. Be sure to include the advantages and disadvantages of your design modification.

Type your answer in the space provided.