Nils Bochow is a PhD student at UiT - The Arctic University of Norway and the University of Copenhagen, as well as a guest researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. With a background in physics, his research now spans tipping elements, focusing on the cryosphere and the Greenland ice sheet, as well as the application of machine learning methods and the integration of machine learning with traditional models.
Abstract:
Several large-scale components in the Earth system are suspected of undergoing abrupt transitions once critical temperature thresholds or tipping points are crossed. These so-called tipping elements have gained tremendous attention in recent years. However, there is considerable uncertainty in the exact thresholds and timescales of these transitions. Notably, "slow" tipping elements might have the potential to temporarily cross these tipping points without transitioning to an alternative state.
In this talk, I will introduce the concept of tipping point overshoots and subsequently demonstrate the effect of overshooting the critical temperature threshold on the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS). I will show that GrIS loss can be substantially mitigated if the temperature is subsequently reduced within a few centuries after an overshoot. However, our results also show that even temporarily overshooting the temperature threshold, without transitioning to a new ice-sheet state, still leads to a peak in sea level rise of up to several meters.
Arranged date for the seminar talk: June 5, 2024 14:00-15:00