DIRECTIONS for the question: Identify the most appropriate summary for the paragraph.
For each of the past three years, temperatures have hit peaks not seen since the birth of meteorology, and probably not for more than 110,000 years. The amount of carbon dioxide in the air is at its highest level in 4 million years. This does not cause storms like Harvey - there have always been storms and hurricanes along the Gulf of Mexico - but it makes them wetter and more powerful. As the seas warm, they evaporate more easily and provide energy to storm fronts. As the air above them warms, it holds more water vapour. For every half a degree Celsius in warming, there is about a 3% increase in atmospheric moisture content. Scientists call this the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. This means the skies fill more quickly and have more to dump. The storm surge was greater because sea levels have risen 20 cm as a result of more than 100 years of human -related global warming which has melted glaciers and thermally expanded the volume of sea water.
Which of the following options represents the most appropriate summary of the paragraph?
Correct Answer :
Global warming melts glaciers, resulting in sea water volume expansion; this enables more water vapour to fill the air above faster. Thus, modern storms contain more destructive energy.
Solution :
The correct option is C.
Let's break down the information presented in the passage:
- Global warming has caused sea levels to rise by 20 cm by melting glaciers and thermally expanding seawater.
- Warmer seas evaporate more easily, providing energy to storms.
- Warmer air holds more water vapour, increasing atmospheric moisture content (explained by the Clausius-Clapeyron equation).
- As a result, storms are more powerful and dump more water.
- Option C summary correctly connects these points: global warming melts glaciers (expanding water volume), enabling more water vapour to fill the air faster, thereby making modern storms carry more destructive energy.
- Option A states that global warming and Harvey are unrelated, which is incorrect.
- Option B focuses on what the Clausius-Clapeyron equation cannot predict, which is not mentioned in the passage.
- Option D suggests this may not be true of all storms, which is not supported by the passage.
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