NAEP Science Grade 12

Category - Earth Science

Which of the following is a major challenge for climate researchers trying to establish the effect that human activities have had on global climate?
  1. Determining the effect that water vapor generated from natural sources has had on climate change.
  2. Compiling the evidence of climate change from different countries with a variety of concerns and priorities.
  3. Measuring the subtle changes in the environment that have occurred as the global climate has warmed.
  4. Distinguishing what shifts in the climate system might be exclusively due to natural long• term changes.
Explanation
Correct Response: D. Scientists have long predicted that increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will change Earth's climate. One of the greatest scientific challenges, however, is to determine which changes are related to the climate system's natural variability and which changes are caused by human activities. The effect of water vapor on climate change (A) is complex, but it is accounted for in most climate models. Most climate data is generated by countries with data standards considered acceptable by the scientific community (B). Measuring these changes (C) is not challenging, but has been ongoing and has provided some of the best evidence for global warming.
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