Climate Feedbacks in the Earth System
DaisyWorld is a simple example of how a single change to our environment can have dramatic impacts on a global scale. But how does this work on planet Earth, which is of course much more complex than DaisyWorld?
Earth’s climate system is influenced by factors that drive the climate to change. These factors can be both natural and human-made, including:
- solar radiation (sunlight)
- the concentration of greenhouse gases, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane
- small airborne particles, such as aerosols, dust, smoke, and soot
Factors like these can trigger climate feedbacks. Feedbacks are processes that can either increase or decrease the effects of the driving factor. For example, suppose something changes the climate system, causing the overall temperature of Earth to rise. A positive feedback loop will increase that initial warming, causing the temperature to rise further; a negative feedback loop will reduce that initial warming and keep the temperature from rising.
When one of the components of Earth’s complex climate system is changed, the results can have dramatic, long-lasting impacts that throw the entire planet out of balance. Global climate change is the change in the overall climate of Earth. As you can imagine, changes on such a vast scale can lead to some very serious consequences over time.
Take Notes
Why do you think climate scientists are concerned about feedback loops in Earth's systems?
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