16 Questions
What is the relationship between daisy coverage and the temperature on Daisyworld?
As daisy coverage expands, the extent of warming is reduced until the daisy population crashes and temperatures rise rapidly.
What property is common to many natural systems with feedback loops?
Self-regulation
How does the rate of photosynthesis depend on the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere?
The rate of photosynthesis depends on the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and on global air temperature.
What can cause abrupt transitions in a system approaching a threshold?
Seemingly small or random perturbations
What term describes how small changes can have large, long-term consequences for a system?
Tipping point
In the Daisyworld model, what eventually causes a population crash and rapid temperature rise?
Daisy coverage expanding beyond the optimum
What demonstrates the potential for abrupt transitions in planetary climate systems?
Daisyworld model
What can be switched into a different state by small perturbations?
Tipping elements
What does hysteresis in thresholds imply for a system?
It may not return to its previous state even if the perturbation is reversed
What affects the resilience of multi-stable ecosystems to perturbation?
External conditions
What is driving the Earth System towards a potential irreversible feedback loop?
Human emissions of greenhouse gases
What is the term used to describe large-scale subsystems of the Earth system that can be influenced by small perturbations?
Tipping elements
Which part of the climate system is approaching a potential threshold?
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation
What would potentially lower atmospheric CO2 levels, leading to a cooling effect on Earth?
Increasing global photosynthesis rates by plants
What illustrates the relationship between sun brightening and daisy coverage expansion in the Daisyworld model?
Warming
What does the term 'tipping point' signify in the context of climate systems?
Small changes leading to large, long-term consequences
Study Notes
Planetary Climate System and Threshold Behavior
- Increasing global photosynthesis rates by plants would lower atmospheric CO2 levels, potentially cooling the Earth.
- However, this cooling could reduce photosynthetic activity, creating a feedback loop.
- Daisyworld model demonstrates that as the sun brightens, daisy coverage expands, leading to warming.
- Daisyworld eventually warms beyond the optimum for daisies, causing a population crash and rapid temperature rise.
- Planetary climate systems have self-regulation and feedback loops, with potential for abrupt transitions.
- Several parts of the climate system are approaching potential thresholds, such as Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and Arctic Sea Ice loss.
- The term "tipping point" describes how small changes can have large, long-term consequences for a system.
- "Tipping elements" are large-scale subsystems of the Earth system that can be switched into a different state by small perturbations.
- Thresholds can have hysteresis, meaning a system may not return to its previous state even if the perturbation is reversed.
- External conditions affect the resilience of multi-stable ecosystems to perturbation.
- The Earth System is on a Hothouse Earth pathway, driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases, potentially leading to irreversible feedbacks.
- A schematic illustration shows possible future pathways of the climate against the background of glacial-interglacial cycles, affecting sea level change.
Test your knowledge of planetary climate systems and threshold behavior with this quiz. Explore concepts like feedback loops, tipping points, hysteresis, and the potential for abrupt transitions in Earth's climate system. Delve into the implications of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and the potential for irreversible feedbacks.
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