Abstract
Several large-scale components of the climate system may undergo a rapid
transition as critical conditions are exceeded. These tipping elements
are also dynamically coupled, allowing for a global domino effect under
global warming. Here we focus on such cascading events involving the
Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS), the West Antarctica Ice Sheet (WAIS) and the
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Using a conceptual
model, we study the combined tipping behavior due to three dominant
feedbacks: the marine ice sheet instability for the WAIS, the
height-surface mass balance feedback for the GIS and the salt-advection
feedback for the AMOC. We show that, in a realistic parameter range of
the model, a tipping of the WAIS can inhibit cascading events by
preserving the AMOC stability.