Temperature induced tipping in a two box ocean circulation model

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that a two-box ocean circulation model can exhibit climate tipping points driven by temperature gradients, highlighting potential abrupt shifts in Earth's climate system.

Contribution

It introduces a novel perspective by showing tipping behavior driven by temperature gradients rather than freshwater forcing in a classic two-box model.

Findings

Tipping can occur due to temperature gradient changes.

The model reveals multistability influenced by thermal dynamics.

Temperature-driven tipping points are possible in simplified ocean models.

Abstract

Climate tipping points are critical thresholds in Earth's climate system where a small change can cause abrupt and potentially irreversible shifts towards a new state. Tipping points in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) are of much scientific concern because of the large-scale impacts on Earth's climate. A two-box model representing the AMOC, introduced by oceanographer Paola Cessi (1994), revealed a multistable system, and was used to develop a tipping analysis framework to capture critical thresholds under freshwater forcing. Sustained increases in planetary energy uptake motivate the inspection of the model, shifting the focus to thermal dynamics. In this paper, we demonstrate that tipping can occur in the model where the temperature gradient acts as the forcing parameter instead of the freshwater forcing parameter.