Tipping Points: Climate Surprises

Abstract

We know that the more greenhouse gases are released, the more the world warms. But, at a certain point, could a small amount of extra greenhouse gas cause a very big change in the climate? And could this big change be irreversible? When a small change causes a very large (and long-term) effect, we call this a tipping point. Scientists are trying to understand whether tipping points exist in the Earth’s climate system, and if so, what impact these could have.

Revealing a Tipping Point in the Climate System: Application of Symbolic Analysis to the World Precipitations and Temperatures

“…This term stands for a critical point that is characterized by such adjectives as self-perpetuating, abrupt, irreversible, and perilous. Along with evidence of the points in complex networks [47][48][49][50][51][52], theoretical ecology [53], and education [54], the detection of the tipping in the climate system has been of increasing concern for sustaining contemporary societies [55][56][57][58]. At present, anxieties grow on whether this planet has already exceeded the critical point.…”