Climate & Environment
Tipping Element
Large components of the Earth system that can shift abruptly and irreversibly into new states once a threshold is crossed.
Definition
Tipping elements are subsystems of the Earth system that can undergo qualitative, often irreversible state changes when a critical threshold in a control variable (usually temperature) is passed. Identified by Lenton and colleagues (2008) and refined since, they include the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, the AMOC, the Amazon rainforest, permafrost, boreal forests and warm-water coral reefs. Recent assessments find several already at risk in the 1–2 °C warming range, with possible cascading interactions between them.
Overview
The overview for this term is being prepared.
Review
Help keep this definition useful and accurate.
Submitted reviews stay private until an editor decides whether to accept and attribute them.
Contribute to this entry
How would you like to contribute?
Every endorsement and suggested edit is checked by an editor before anything changes publicly.