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Title:
Inaugural Article: Tipping elements in the Earth's climate system
Authors:
Lenton, Timothy M.; Held, Hermann; Kriegler, Elmar; Hall, Jim W.; Lucht, Wolfgang; Rahmstorf, Stefan; Schellnhuber, Hans Joachim
Publication:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 105, issue 6, pp. 1786-1793
Publication Date:
02/2008
Category:
Perspective, Physical Sciences:Sustainability Science
Origin:
CROSSREF; PNAS
Keywords:
Earth system, tipping points, climate change, large-scale impacts, climate policy
DOI:
10.1073/pnas.0705414105
Bibliographic Code:
2008PNAS..105.1786L

Abstract

The term “tipping point” commonly refers to a critical threshold at which a tiny perturbation can qualitatively alter the state or development of a system. Here we introduce the term “tipping element” to describe large-scale components of the Earth system that may pass a tipping point. We critically evaluate potential policy-relevant tipping elements in the climate system under anthropogenic forcing, drawing on the pertinent literature and a recent international workshop to compile a short list, and we assess where their tipping points lie. An expert elicitation is used to help rank their sensitivity to global warming and the uncertainty about the underlying physical mechanisms. Then we explain how, in principle, early warning systems could be established to detect the proximity of some tipping points.
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Database: Astronomy
Physics
arXiv e-prints