The reversibility of sea ice loss in a state-of-the-art climate
model Article first published online: 20 AUG 2011 Copyright 2011
by the American Geophysical Union. Geophysical Research Letters
Volume 38, Issue 16, August 2011 How to Cite 2011), The
reversibility of sea ice loss in a state-of-the-art climate
model, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L16705,
doi:10.1029/2011GL048739., , , , and ( - Issue published online:
20 AUG 2011 - Article first published online: 20 AUG 2011 -
Manuscript Accepted: 15 JUL 2011 - Manuscript Received: 29 JUN
2011 - sea ice; - tipping point  Rapid Arctic sea ice retreat
has fueled speculation about the possibility of threshold (or
‘tipping point’) behavior and irreversible loss of the sea ice
cover. We test sea ice reversibility within a state-of-the-art
atmosphere–ocean global climate model by increasing atmospheric
carbon dioxide until the Arctic Ocean becomes ice-free
throughout the year and subsequently decreasing it until the
initial ice cover returns. Evidence for irreversibility i