System Earth: Climate and Global Change (MAQ23306)
Summary
Summary System Earth: Climate and Global Change (MAQ 23306)
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Module
System Earth: Climate and Global Change (MAQ23306)
Institution
Wageningen University (WUR)
Book
The Earth System
This is the summary of System Earth. It is based on the lectures and the textbook (The Earth System, 1638). The summary also includes the lecture on Ethics and Philosophy of Science.
Chapter 13. Biodiversity through earth history......................................................................................15
Chapter 15. Global warming: Recent and future climat........................................................................16
Chapter 17. Ozone depletion and atmospheric chemistry....................................................................17
Ethics and Philosophy of science......................................................................................................... 19
1
, CHAPTER 2. DAISY WORLD
The systems approach has been used in virtually every area of inquiry (including branches of both
natural and social studies). A system consist of components (i.e. subsystems of the system). The state
of a system is a set of attributes that characterizes the system at a certain time (t or t+∆t). Coupling
are links in the system where a component influences another component. These couplings can be
negative (represented with a circular arrowhead) or positive (represented with a normal arrowhead).
A system diagram makes it possible to keep track of the various couplings within a system. Here
feedback loops may be distinguished. A negative feedback loop tends to diminish the effects of the
disturbances (dampening effect), while a positive feedback loop amplifies the effects of disturbance
(runaway effect).
Figure 1. Systems diagram
A positive (+) and a negative (-) coupling will result in a negative
feedback loop (+ - = -).
The equilibrium state is the state in which the system will remain
unless the system is disturbed. When the equilibrium state is
stable, it is hard to move the system from that state to another
state. On the other hand, a small perturbation (temporary
disturbance of the system) in an unstable state will result in the
system moving to another state. The point where the system
moves away from the (un)stable state is called the tipping point.
In contrast to a perturbation, forcing is a more persistent (and
normally long term) disturbance of the system.
Figure 2. Stability of the system
2
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