Climate Feedback Cycles

Climate Feedback Cycles (Positive Feedback Loops)

Feedback #1

Sea Ice Melt / Albedo

Feedback #1 is baked into the planetary warming cycle. While there are natural variations, there is really nothing that is going to stop this for a long long time

 

  1. Sea ice disappears, leaving black open water.
  2. Solar radiation penetrates the dark open water rather than being reflected back into space.
  3. Ocean water warms and melts more sea ice.

Repeat..

feedback #2

 

 

Wildfires Rainforest / Siberia

Forest fires release massive quantities of CO₂ into the atmosphere, trapping heat, causing temperatures to rise, producing more drought, further compromising the health of forests , causing more fires and deforestation.

Repeat.

Feedback #3

METHANE / PERMAFROST

Melting permafrost is increasingly causing infrastructure collapse and increasing the release of CO2 and CH4 that had been trapped beneath it.

  1. Permafrost thaws, releasing greenhouses gases CO2 and CH4 and others.

  2. GHGs trap heat in the atmosphere, increasing surface temperatures,..

  3. Permafrost melts faster,  releasing more GHG

Repeat..