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Environment & Energy

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Viking12

(6,012 posts)
Fri Jun 22, 2012, 08:07 AM Jun 2012

Approaching a state shift in Earth's biosphere [View all]

ruh roh

Approaching a state shift in Earth’s biosphere

| NATURE | VOL 486 | 7 JUNE 2012

Localized ecological systems are known to shift abruptly and irreversibly from one state to another when they are forced across critical thresholds. Here we review evidence that the global ecosystem as a whole can react in the same way and is approaching a planetary-scale critical transition as a result of human influence. The plausibility of a planetary-scale ‘tipping point’ highlights the need to improve biological forecasting by detecting early warning signs of critical transitions on global as well as local scales, and by detecting feedbacks that promote such transitions. It is also necessary to address root causes of how humans are forcing biological changes.

http://www.ecoearth.info/shared/docfeed/biosphere_state_shift_nature.pdf
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An excellent, if ultimately depressing article GliderGuider Jun 2012 #1
Indeed cbrer Jun 2012 #2
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