Hysteresis

Hysteresis: Recently, a study warned that the Antarctic Ice Sheet may have crossed a critical tipping point.

o Researchers confirmed signs of hysteresis, indicating that irreversible melting could continue even if global temperatures stabilise or decline.

• About Hysteresis: Refers to a system’s inability to revert to its original state even after the external influence is reversed. This means the process (in this case melting) has entered an input-output loop and can keep occuring independently.

o In the case of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, once a critical warming threshold is crossed, melting continues regardless of subsequent cooling.

o This irreversible feedback loop poses long-term threats to global sea levels.

• Climate Tipping Points: According to IPCC, tipping points are ‘critical thresholds in a system that, when exceeded, can lead to a significant change in the state of the system, often with an understanding that the change is irreversible.’

o According to the Study, five dangerous tipping points may already have been passed due to the 1.1o C of global heating caused by humanity to date.  Ex – Greenland ice cap.

o At 1.5o C, five tipping points become possible, including coral reefs.