Can global warming cause more global warming?

Answer 1

Positive feed backs. A warming planet causes changes in various aspects of the planet, and some of these changes may cause further changes, including more heating, or even cooling.

One example of this is water vapor. As the planet warms, more water can be evaporated and held in the atmosphere. Since water vapor is a potent greenhouse gas, this extra water vapor in the atmosphere creates even more warming. And there you go, warming causing warming.

Other positive feed backs include the ice albedo effect and the melting of methane permafrost.

Negative feed backs would be an increase in clouds from evaporation. Plant life able to survive in areas previously unable to support life in another example of negative feedback.

The ice mass in the Arctic is generally decreasing, although there is a small short-term increase in sea ice, and with it comes albedo issues.

Another potential for global warming to cause further global warming is the the melting of the Siberian tundra. Considerable organic carbon is held in the soil, frozen so that it can not rot and convert into carbon dioxide. Should this melt, scientists say that further global warming would become unstoppable.

Answer 2

Yes. There are things happening in global warming that cause positive feedback. For example, Arctic ice is white and shiny, so it reflects a lot of the sun's rays. This is called albedo. As the atmosphere warms, the Arctic ice melts, exposing the dark sea below. The dark sea doesn't reflect the sun's radiation as well as the ice did, so it gets warmer.

Because the sea is warmer, it melts more of the ice. Because the ice has gone, the sea gets warmer.

This is called positive feedback, and it is an example of how global warming can cause more warming.