There are only negative feedbacks in Earth's system

1. The Arctic sea ice has a warming and not a cooling effect on the Global Energy Balance.

It is true that the sea ice has a higher reflecting ability.

It happens because ice and snow have higher albedo.

But at very high latitudes, where the sea ice covers the ocean there is a very poor insolation.

Thus the sea ice's higher reflecting ability doesn't cool significantly the Earth's surface.

On the other hand there is a physical phenomenon which has a strong influence in the cooling of Earth's surface.

This phenomenon is the differences in emissivity.

The open sea waters have emissivity ε = 0,95.

The ice has emissivity ε = 0,97.

On the other hand, the snow has a much lower emissivity ε = 0,8.

And the sea ice is a snow covered sea ice with emissivity ε = 0,8.

Also we should have under consideration the physical phenomenon of the sea waters freezing-melting behavior.

Sea waters freeze at - 2,3 oC.

Sea ice melts at 0 oC.

The difference between the melting and the freezing temperatures creates a seasonal time delay in covering the arctic waters with ice sheets.

When formatting the sea ice gets thicker from the colder water's side.

When melting the sea ice gets thinner from the warmer atmosphere's side.

This time delay enhances the arctic waters IR emissivity and heat losses towards the space because of the open waters' higher emissivity e = 0,95, compared with the snow covered ice ε = 0,8.

It needs to be mentioned that Earth's surface emits IR radiation 24/7 all year around.

And the Arctic region insolation is very poor even in the summer.

That is why Arctic sea ice has a warming and not a cooling effect on the Global Energy Balance.

On the other hand it is the open Arctic sea waters that have the cooling effect on the Global Energy Balance.

Feedback refers to the modification of a process by changes resulting from the process itself.

Positive feedbacks accelerate the process, while negative feedbacks slow it down.

The Arctic sea ice has a warming and not a cooling effect on the Global Energy Balance.

It is a negative feedback.

The melting Arctic sea ice slows down the Global Warming trend.

This process appears to be a negative feedback.

2. The cloud-radiative feedback.

Increased cloud cover, increases the reflection of solar radiation away from the Earth’s surface.

This process appears to be a negative feedback.

In general all the feedbacks occurring in Earth's system eventually are proven to be negative feedbacks.

Feedback refers to the modification of a process by changes resulting from the process itself.

Positive feedbacks accelerate the process, while negative feedbacks slow it down.

Since it is already proven that Earth's climate is changing due to the orbital forcing, there should be only negative feedbacks in the Earth's system.

Otherwise Earth wouldn't be able to venture in and out of Ice Ages.

In general all the feedbacks occurring in Earth's system eventually are proven to be negative feedbacs.

This appears to be a self-proven postulate.


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Opponent:


“Sea ice reflects more light than ocean water. Less sea ice, more light enters the oceans, warmer oceans.”


Answer:

There is not sea ice at the tropics!

And, there is not solar light absorption in Arctic!


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However in this case for Arctic there is an identified ‘other source’. That is that the Arctic emits more than it absorbs from sun, because of the transport of heat to the North by water convective loops that operate horizontally via the thermohaline circulation.


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The ice floating sea water can be at higher temperature than the sea water

( -1C vs -2C ).


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https://www.cristos-vournas.com

The faster a planet rotates (n2>n1) the higher is the planet’s average (mean) temperature T↑mean:

Tmin→ T↑mean ← Tmax

.