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.
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.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Mar 2024
Research article |
| 15 Mar 2024
| 15 Mar 2024
Sea-ice thermodynamics can determine waterbelt scenarios for Snowball Earth
Johannes Hörner
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Meteorology and Geophysics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Aiko Voigt
Department of Meteorology and Geophysics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Geological evidence indicate persistent tropical sea-ice cover in the deep past, often called Snowball Earth. Using a climate model, we show here that clouds substantially cool down the tropics and facilitate the advance of sea-ice into lower latitudes. We identify a critical threshold temperature of 0 °C from where cooling down the Earth is accelerated. This value can be used as a constraint on Earth's sensitivity to CO2, as recent cold paleoclimates never entered Snowball Earth.
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Related subject area
Topics: Climate dynamics and variability | Interactions: Cryosphere/atmosphere interactions | Methods: Earth system and climate modeling
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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.
Snowball Earth refers to a climate in the deep past of the Earth where the whole planet was...
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