IB Environmental systems and societies Topic 6.2D Tipping Cascades Revision Notes (HL)

IB Environmental systems and societies Topic 6.2D Tipping Cascades Revision Notes (HL) | RevisionDojo

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Tipping Cascades: One Threshold Can Topple the Whole Earth System

Definition

Tipping point

A tipping point is a critical threshold where small changes trigger dramatic, often irreversible shifts in an ecosystem.

A tipping point is the critical threshold at which a small change causes a large, abrupt, and potentially irreversible shift in a component of the Earth system.
Individual climate tipping points can be abiotic, biotic, or combined interactions involving both.
As global warming intensifies, multiple tipping points may be activated in the same time window, raising the risk of cascading failures.

Common Mistake

Do not confuse positive feedback with a tipping point.
Positive feedback can push a system toward a threshold, but the tipping point itself is the abrupt, often irreversible shift once that threshold is crossed.

Key Tipping Elements: The Earth System's Weak Points

Greenland Ice Sheet:
1. Ice loss reduces land ice mass and pours freshwater into the North Atlantic, freshening surface water.
West Antarctic Ice Sheet:
1. Collapse of this ice sheet drives rapid sea-level rise.
Arctic sea ice (ice-albedo):
1. Loss of reflective ice exposes dark ocean that absorbs more heat, causing further warming.
Permafrost:
1. Thawing soils release methane and CO₂, intensifying global warming.
Amazon rainforest:
1. Dieback cuts rainfall and evapotranspiration, making it harder for the forest to regenerate.
Boreal forest:
1. Heat, pests, and fire reduce forest stability and shift the biome.
Coral reefs:
1. Warming and acidified water cause bleaching and biodiversity loss.
AMOC:
1. Freshening and warming weaken Atlantic overturning circulation, altering global heat transport.
Phytoplankton:
1. Warming and ocean stratification reduce phytoplankton, weakening the biological carbon pump and marine food webs.

How Tipping Cascades Develop: Feedbacks Chain One Failure to the Next

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Definition

Paywall

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Note

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Tip

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

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Tipping Cascades: One Threshold Can Topple the Whole Earth System

Definition

Tipping point

A tipping point is a critical threshold where small changes trigger dramatic, often irreversible shifts in an ecosystem.

A tipping point is the critical threshold at which a small change causes a large, abrupt, and potentially irreversible shift in a component of the Earth system.
Individual climate tipping points can be abiotic, biotic, or combined interactions involving both.
As global warming intensifies, multiple tipping points may be activated in the same time window, raising the risk of cascading failures.

Common Mistake

Do not confuse positive feedback with a tipping point.
Positive feedback can push a system toward a threshold, but the tipping point itself is the abrupt, often irreversible shift once that threshold is crossed.

Key Tipping Elements: The Earth System's Weak Points

Greenland Ice Sheet:
1. Ice loss reduces land ice mass and pours freshwater into the North Atlantic, freshening surface water.
West Antarctic Ice Sheet:
1. Collapse of this ice sheet drives rapid sea-level rise.
Arctic sea ice (ice-albedo):
1. Loss of reflective ice exposes dark ocean that absorbs more heat, causing further warming.
Permafrost:
1. Thawing soils release methane and CO₂, intensifying global warming.
Amazon rainforest:
1. Dieback cuts rainfall and evapotranspiration, making it harder for the forest to regenerate.
Boreal forest:
1. Heat, pests, and fire reduce forest stability and shift the biome.
Coral reefs:
1. Warming and acidified water cause bleaching and biodiversity loss.
AMOC:
1. Freshening and warming weaken Atlantic overturning circulation, altering global heat transport.
Phytoplankton:
1. Warming and ocean stratification reduce phytoplankton, weakening the biological carbon pump and marine food webs.

How Tipping Cascades Develop: Feedbacks Chain One Failure to the Next

Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

Topic 1: Foundation 3 subtopics

Topic 2: Ecology5 subtopics

Topic 3: Conservation and biodiversity3 subtopics

Topic 4: Water4 subtopics

Topic 5: Land2 subtopics

Topic 6: Atmosphere and climate change4 subtopics

Topic 7: Natural resources3 subtopics

Topic 8: Human populations and urban systems3 subtopics

HL lenses 3 subtopics

IB Environmental systems and societies 6.2D Tipping Cascades Notes

Topic 1: Foundation 3 subtopics

Topic 2: Ecology5 subtopics

Topic 3: Conservation and biodiversity3 subtopics

Topic 4: Water4 subtopics

Topic 5: Land2 subtopics

Topic 6: Atmosphere and climate change4 subtopics

Topic 7: Natural resources3 subtopics

Topic 8: Human populations and urban systems3 subtopics

HL lenses 3 subtopics

Tipping Cascades: One Threshold Can Topple the Whole Earth System

Key Tipping Elements: The Earth System's Weak Points

How Tipping Cascades Develop: Feedbacks Chain One Failure to the Next

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Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

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Tipping Cascades: One Threshold Can Topple the Whole Earth System

Key Tipping Elements: The Earth System's Weak Points

How Tipping Cascades Develop: Feedbacks Chain One Failure to the Next

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account