COSEE Ocean Systems: News
Was the Earth ever frozen solid?
Description: Snowball Earth theory argues that ice once covered the entire Earth. The theory was based on the early observation that glacial deposits from this time were widely distributed on nearly every continent, with some geologic evidence even suggesting glaciation at tropical latitudes. The abrupt change in the climate is rooted in the positive feedback loop, commonly referred to as the albedo ("whiteness" in Latin) effect. Simply put, as Earth cools and ice forms from the pole down to lower latitudes, the albedo, or the whiteness of the Earth increases, reflecting more solar radiation-just like how a black t-shirt absorbs more heat, while a white t-shirt reflects all wavelengths of light. [Source: Phys.org]
URL: https://phys.org/news/2018-05-earth-frozen-solid.html
Availability: Full Text
Source: Phys.org
Publish Date: 5/4/2018
Reading Level: Basic
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