Reply #16: Depending on greenhouse gases, we may end the ice ages or trigger the next one

[FarCenter]

A open Arctic Ocean is consistent with increased precipitation in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia and Siberia. This causes cool summers over the northern continental land mass, incomplete melting of the snowfall, and increased glaciation.

So melting of the Arctic Ocean ice would normally trigger the next Ice Age, with the consequent regrowth of the North American, European and Siberian ice sheets.

This continues until the sea levels go down, northward currents from the Atlantic to the Artic diminish, and the Arctic Ocean freeze over.

On the other hand, if we have put enough greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, the atmospheric warming may prevent the ice shields from forming and we will go back to a climate similar to before the ice ages began about 6 million years ago.