A Catastrophe Model of the Paleoglimate

Abstract A simple qualitative model of global ice cover is presented to account for the apparent catastrophic transitions between glacial and interglacial climates. Unlike the Budyko (1972) and Weertman (1976) models, the catastrophe model employs a second control parameter besides the oribtally ind...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Glaciology
Main Author: MacAyeal, Douglas Reed
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1979
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Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000014775
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000014775
Description
Summary:Abstract A simple qualitative model of global ice cover is presented to account for the apparent catastrophic transitions between glacial and interglacial climates. Unlike the Budyko (1972) and Weertman (1976) models, the catastrophe model employs a second control parameter besides the oribtally induced insolation fluctuations to differentiate between fast and slow glaciological response mechanisms. It is conjectured that this second control parameter is linked to isostatic actions occurring beneath the continental crust which shift the dynamic emphasis from terrestrial to marine ice margins.