2 ms·
There is a positive feedback loop between ice cover and Earth's overall albedo. (i.e. more shiny white ice = more sunlight reflected = colder Earth = more shiny
by lainga 3y ago
There is a positive feedback loop between ice cover and Earth's overall albedo. (i.e. more shiny white ice = more sunlight reflected = colder Earth = more shiny white ice...)
Model climates seem to require a LOT of added greenhouse gases, before they tip back over into a "hothouse Earth" (don't be fooled! that means our Earth with glacial and interglacial periods), which happens in a very short time.
https://arxiv.org/abs/1402.3269 https://arxiv.org/abs/1402.3269
- codexb 3y agoThere's also a positive feedback loop between ice cover and increasing atmospheric CO2, since an Earth covered in ice prevents a lot of the natural absorption of CO2, allowing the atmospheric CO2 to rise via volcanic outgassing. There's also a theory that a sudden decrease in solar radiation can trigger iceball earths -- https://news.mit.edu/2020/sunlight-triggered-snowball-earths-ice-ages-0729 https://news.mit.edu/2020/sunlight-triggered-snowball-earths...