Feedback Loops Explained

Climate shifts are amplified or dampened by feedback loops. In the ice-albedo loop, melting ice exposes darker ocean that absorbs more sunlight, causing more warming and more melting.

The water vapor feedback is just as powerful: warmer air holds more moisture, and water vapor is itself a greenhouse gas, so initial warming traps even more heat. Negative feedbacks push back a little — more clouds reflect sunlight, and extra CO2 stimulates plant growth — but the positive loops clearly win out.