Climate Tipping Points and their Impacts

Session ID#: 282616

Session Description:
Key components of the Earth system might be subject to tipping dynamics, where they respond abruptly and/or irreversibly to otherwise slow or steady forcing. Among such possible tipping elements are the Meridional Overturning Circulation, tropical and boreal forests, coral reefs, the ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica, and permafrost regions. While there is a growing body of global simulations and specific dynamic modeling to address these tipping risks, the challenges of quantifying tipping risk, clarifying early warning signs, and identifying the post-tip state of the climate system remain. In particular, in the impact space, the possibility of cascading tips or secondary impacts to e.g. other climate sub-systems or extreme weather are open questions. We welcome all approaches to these challenges, including: coupled, process, and dynamical modeling; paleoclimate and observational analysis; AI and ML; and combined approaches like digital twins.
Index Terms:

1605 Abrupt/rapid climate change [GLOBAL CHANGE]
1630 Impacts of global change [GLOBAL CHANGE]
4415 Cascades [NONLINEAR GEOPHYSICS]
Primary Convener:  Dr. Genevieve Jay Brett, PhD, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, United States
Conveners:  Jennifer A. Sleeman, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, United States, Benjamin F Zaitchik, Johns Hopkins University, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States and Pierre Gentine, Columbia University, Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, New York, United States