Climate feedback loop

Figure 7 Diagram of the feedback loop involving climate and planktonic production of DMS. The ( + ) under biological production of DMS in the ocean indicates the uncertainty in the direction of the net feedback loop (Taken from Bigg," with permission of Cambridge University Press)...

Individual climate controls do not function in isolation from one another rather, many factors link together in complex cause-effect chains (Figure 2). Factor interactions may involve feedback loops that at one extreme amplify... 

Figure 2. Within the Earth-atmosphere system numerous feedback loops govern climate. (Reproduced with permission from ref. 31. Copyright 1974 American Association for the Advancement of Science.)...

The nature of such processes can be depicted as a feedback loop, as shown in Fig. 17-4. Using the nomenclature in this figure and continuing with enhanced evaporation of water vapor as our physical example of a feedback that is completely internal to the climate system, we... 

Figure 7 Diagram of the feedback loop involving climate and planktonic production of DMS. The...

Snowpack chemical emissions include oxidants and aerosol precursors, that also interact with climate. Oxidants determine the lifetime of greenhouse gases and aerosols impact the atmospheric radiation budget. If snowpack chemical emissions are determined by climate, feedback loops involving snow chemistry also need to be studied to assess the extent of climate change in snow-covered regions. 

Results are shown in Figure 5 b. At the end of April, the ice thickness is 37 cm with the cold scenario and 58 cm with the warm scenario, so that changes in snow kj more than offset atmospheric warming. This increased sea ice thickness clearly constitutes a negative snow-climate feedback loop that deserves consideration in climate models. Of course, this fast ice example cannot be taken at face value, as sea ice growth is much more complex than described here. Other effects must be taken into account such as convection in the water that depend on growth rate, lateral heat fluxes in the ice and turbulent fluxes at the snow-air and sea-ice interfaces. " However, this example does illustrate the importance of one factor, the heat conductivity of snow, that will be affected by climate change. 

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