Did Glaciers Cover the Planet? An Inquiry into “Snowball Earth”
Location
Science Center, K209
Document Type
Presentation
Start Date
4-26-2013 1:30 PM
End Date
4-26-2013 2:30 PM
Abstract
When the Budyko model was first analyzed in 1969, an interesting stable state for the Earth’s climate system, known as Snowball Earth, was discovered. Since then, increasing amounts of evidence have been found to show that the Earth may have experienced massive glaciations between 750 to 580 million years ago. However, the exact nature of the state is uncertain and alternative models have been proposed to explain the massive glaciations. One such model is the Jormungand model, which proposes that while most of the Earth was covered in glaciers, there was a small belt of open sea water near the equator caused by a change in the albedo of glaciers as they enter the Hadley Cell latitudes. In this presentation, we will investigate the scientific evidence of the debate and use it to formulate a model for the Jormangand state. We will then investigate the solutions and the implications of the model.
Recommended Citation
Rackauckas, Christopher, "Did Glaciers Cover the Planet? An Inquiry into “Snowball Earth”" (04/26/13). Senior Symposium. 41.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/seniorsymp/2013/presentations/41
Major
Mathematics
Advisor(s)
Robert Bosch, Mathematics
Project Mentor(s)
Jim Walsh, Mathematics
April 2013
Did Glaciers Cover the Planet? An Inquiry into “Snowball Earth”
Science Center, K209
When the Budyko model was first analyzed in 1969, an interesting stable state for the Earth’s climate system, known as Snowball Earth, was discovered. Since then, increasing amounts of evidence have been found to show that the Earth may have experienced massive glaciations between 750 to 580 million years ago. However, the exact nature of the state is uncertain and alternative models have been proposed to explain the massive glaciations. One such model is the Jormungand model, which proposes that while most of the Earth was covered in glaciers, there was a small belt of open sea water near the equator caused by a change in the albedo of glaciers as they enter the Hadley Cell latitudes. In this presentation, we will investigate the scientific evidence of the debate and use it to formulate a model for the Jormangand state. We will then investigate the solutions and the implications of the model.
Notes
Session I, Panel 5: Metals/Models/Method: Notes on Environmental Exposure, Climatology, and Geochemical Dating Techniques
Moderator: Dennis Hubbard, Professor of Geology
Full text thesis available here.