11 mark
Distinguish between the terms climate and weather.
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Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
Climate Change Causes & Impacts (DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS): HL): Exam Questions
1 hour24 questions
23 marks
Weather and climate are significantly influenced by atmospheric circulatory systems, which result in the movement of air masses, distribution of heat, and the formation of weather patterns.
Air movement within atmospheric pressure cells is roughly circular and moves surplus heat from equatorial regions to other parts of the Earth.
In both hemispheres, heat energy transfer occurs where three atmospheric circulation cells meet.
State the names of these three cells that make up the tricellular model of atmospheric circulation.
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32 marks
State two sources of methane emissions.
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41 mark
Climate change can amplify or intensify changes, leading to further global warming
For example, increasing temperatures result in the release of the potent greenhouse gas methane from thawing permafrost, which further enhances the greenhouse effect.
Identify the name of this type of process.
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52 marks
Define the term climate model.
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61 mark
Identify one proxy indicator used to reconstruct past climate data.
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71 mark
State one reason why climate scientists collect long-term data sets.
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81 mark
Define the term tipping point in the context of climate systems.
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92 marks
Define the term hindcasting in the context of climate models.
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14 marks
Explain the albedo effect and its significance in regulating the Earth's overall temperature.
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23 marks
There is a general consensus amongst the scientific community that increased levels of carbon dioxide emissions as a result of human activity are causing global warming due to an enhanced greenhouse effect.
Explain how increases in the proportions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have led to global warming.
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32 marks
Global warming is having an overall detrimental effect on biodiversity and ecology in general.
Suggest and explain one potential effect of global warming that may be beneficial to certain organisms.
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43 marks
The figure below shows data on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and average global temperatures between the years 1000 and 2000.
With the help of the graph above, evaluate the claim that rising global temperatures are caused by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
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53 marks
Other than the burning of fossil fuels, state three sources of atmospheric greenhouse gases.
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62 marks
Explain the concept of a climate tipping cascade with an example.
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72 marks
Outline two reasons why climate models may produce different future projections.
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82 marks
Explain why some climate tipping points are considered irreversible.
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92 marks
Suggest how satellite data could help identify critical climate thresholds.
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17 marks
Discuss the potential consequences of elevated greenhouse gas levels on human societies living in diverse geographical regions.
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27 marks
Explain how global warming may increase the carrying capacity of human populations in some parts of the world but decrease the carrying capacity in other areas.
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39 marks
Evaluate the impact of human activities on atmospheric composition and the consequences for ecosystems.
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49 marks
There has been significant debate surrounding the causes of climate change.
Evaluate contrasting viewpoints on this issue.
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57 marks
Explain how different types of climate data are used together to improve the accuracy of global climate models.
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69 marks
Evaluate the strengths and limitations of climate models in predicting regional climate change impacts.
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