As an ocean freezes, the ice reflects more of Earth’s heat back to space, causing more freezing, reflecting still more heat back to space. Which graph BEST shows the resulting change in Earth’s temperature?

Question

Responses
A AA
B BB
C CC
D D

Answer 1

To determine which graph best represents the change in Earth's temperature due to the feedback mechanism you've described (the ice-albedo feedback), we need to look for a graph that shows a characteristic feedback loop: as ice covers more of the Earth, more heat is reflected, leading to a further decrease in temperature.

In this scenario, we would expect to see a decline in Earth's temperature over time in a somewhat accelerating manner due to the positive feedback effect. This would typically be depicted in a graph where the temperature decreases sharply or exponentially as the ice cover increases.

If you provide descriptions or characteristics of the graphs A, B, C, and D, I can help you identify which one best fits this description.