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How Global Warming Could Lead to More Global Warming
A new paper warns of increased climate change due to melting sea ice
A new paper, published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, warns that more global warming is possible in the long term than previously thought.
Scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany predict that losing the ice sheets and sea ice will accelerate the heating of the planet. In other words, the results of global warming — melting ice, in this case — exacerbate global warming.
A key concept in this paper is the idea of “positive feedback” — referring to effects that essentially self-perpetuate. In this case, global warming leads to more global warming, because ice sheets and sea ice aren’t just giant ice cubes that keep the planet cool. For one thing, they are especially good at reflecting sunlight (a measure known as albedo) and the heat that comes with it. As their reflective surfaces melt away, the earth absorbs more radiation, and the global mean temperature rises.
This year, sea ice in the Arctic reached its second-lowest point in recorded history, and the Arctic is heating faster than any other part of the world. In addition to Arctic ice, the authors also took into account mountain glaciers and the Greenland and…
