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What is happening is more melting is occurring in Summer then what freezes during Winter. This a net loss of ice. In the past, over a period of time, an equil
by jmclnx 5y ago
What is happening is more melting is occurring in Summer then what freezes during Winter. This a net loss of ice.
In the past, over a period of time, an equilibrium existed, CO2 broke that equilibrium.
- notabee 5y agoTo add to this, there are also feedback loops involved. Sea ice is very white (high albedo), and as it melts at the margins it is replaced by sea water with a much lower albedo that absorbs more light and heat energy. So as the ice goes, the water around it warms ever faster. Once the ice is mostly gone, that will accelerate global warming by an appreciable amount simply through loss of reflectivity. That's just one of many feedback loops that make things more complicated than "move the CO2 thermostat up or down again".