Figure 8.29: Stabilization of Sea Ice After a Shock

Comparison of Modeled Rebound and Pre-1970s Ice Stability

Effect of Large Shocks on a Stable Equilibrium

Analyzing Sea Ice Recovery Data

Mechanism of Equilibrium Recovery

An environmental system is in a stable, high-ice equilibrium. A temporary, external event causes a one-time reduction in the ice extent. Arrange the following events to describe the system's self-correction process back towards its original state.

Evaluating Claims About Environmental Stability

In an environmental system at a stable, high-resource equilibrium, a single, temporary negative shock (e.g., an unusually warm year reducing ice) will cause the system to settle into a new, permanently lower equilibrium state.

Interpreting a Climate Model's Response to a Shock

Match each term related to an environmental system's response to a temporary disturbance with its correct description.

In a graphical model of a stable environmental equilibrium, when a temporary shock reduces the resource level below the equilibrium point, the system self-corrects. For this to occur, the curve representing the system's dynamics must lie ____ the 45-degree line in the region between the new, lower resource level and the original equilibrium point.

In a model of an environmental system, the amount of a resource (like sea ice) in one year determines the amount in the next year. The system is currently in a stable, high-resource equilibrium. Following a temporary shock that reduces the resource level, the system begins to self-correct and return to its original state. Which of the following statements best explains the underlying mechanism for this recovery?