Asked by goatd

Read the passage and answer the following question(s).

Passage 12026

Directions: Read the passage about the history of Earth's atmosphere and answer any questions that follow.

Climate scientists study Earth's atmosphere as far back as 800,000 years ago by studying data from ice cores. To get this data, scientists drill deep into glaciers, remove ice cores, and analyze the air bubbles trapped in the ice. The composition of the air trapped in the ice gives the scientists a snapshot of the atmospheric conditions that were present when the air bubble was formed. The graph shows data scientists collected on the carbon dioxide (CO2) content of the atmosphere over the past 1,000 years.


Resize Columns
Question 15.



How would the change in the amount of solar energy trapped in Earth's atmosphere most likely affect the water cycle?

Decreased solar energy can increase precipitation near the equator and runoff from mountains.


Decreased solar energy can decrease precipitation near the equator and runoff from mountains.


Increased solar energy can increase evaporation of ocean water and melting of the glaciers.


Increased solar energy can decrease evaporation of ocean water and melting of the glaciers.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Increased solar energy can increase evaporation of ocean water and melting of the glaciers.

More trapped solar energy raises temperatures, which increases evaporation and ice melt, altering precipitation and runoff.