Earth System Dynamics
Earth System Dynamics
ESD
Articles | Volume 15, issue 2
Articles | Volume 15, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-215-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-215-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 15, issue 2
Research article
 | 
15 Mar 2024
Research article |  | 15 Mar 2024

Sea-ice thermodynamics can determine waterbelt scenarios for Snowball Earth

Johannes Hörner and Aiko Voigt

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Short summary
Snowball Earth refers to a climate in the deep past of the Earth where the whole planet was covered in ice. Waterbelt states, where a narrow region of open water remains at the Equator, have been discussed as an alternative scenario, which might explain how life was able to survive these periods. Here, we demonstrate how waterbelt states are influenced by the thermodynamical sea-ice model used. The sea-ice model modulates snow on ice, ice albedo and ultimately the stability of waterbelt states.
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