On the origin of planetary-scale tipping points - PubMed (original) (raw)
On the origin of planetary-scale tipping points
Timothy M Lenton et al. Trends Ecol Evol. 2013 Jul.
Abstract
Tipping points are recognised in many systems, including ecosystems and elements of the climate system. But can the biosphere as a whole tip and, if so, how? Past global tipping points were rare and occurred in the coupled planetary-scale dynamics of the Earth system, not in the local-scale dynamics of its weakly interacting component ecosystems. Yet, evolutionary innovations have triggered past global transformations, suggesting that tipping point theory needs to go beyond bifurcations and networks to include evolution.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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