NAEP Science Grade 12

Category - Earth Science

Climatologists have used computer models to investigate possible consequences of increased average global temperatures on various Earth systems. According to the models, which of the following changes in an Earth system is likely to occur in association with an increase in average global temperatures? 
  1. Regions prone to drought will become drier, due to longer periods without adequate rainfall.
  2. Jet stream winds will shift position more frequently, causing rapid changes in weather conditions.
  3. Hurricanes will become less common in tropical areas, due to a strengthening of the Coriolis effect.
  4. El Niño events will occur at longer intervals, causing anomalous weather conditions to last longer.
Explanation
Correct Response: A. One of the strongest hypotheses of the climatologists studying climate change and the predictions of climate models is that weather events will become more extreme. This means longer and more severe droughts for some areas already prone to drought, such as the Southwest, while other regions typically prone to seasonal flooding, such as the Ohio River Valley, can expect more intense floods more often. Climate models suggest that the decreased equator-to-pole temperature gradient will actually make weather systems more persistent as the jet stream slows (B) and hurricanes are more likely to increase in frequency than decrease as sea-surface temperatures increase (C). El Niño events are precipitated by major changes in the oceans and atmosphere and climate models have not indicated that the intervals at which they occur (D) will change significantly as a result of global warming.
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