Melting iceberg

Icebergs melt during the summer, which decreases the albedo of the ocean surface by creating a darker surface that does not reflect solar radiation as a lighter surface would. This allows the ocean surface to become warmer, which leads to further melting. This is an example of a positive feedback mechanism.
Photo Credit: Ted Scambos and Rob Bauer, NSIDC
Originally uploaded in Integrate:Teaching for Sustainability.

Image 37778 is a 600 by 583 pixel WebP
Uploaded: Nov28 12


Last Modified: 2012-11-28 12:57:08
Permanent URL: https://serc.carleton.edu/download/images/37778/melting_iceberg.webp


Provenance
Photo Credit: Ted Scambos and Rob Bauer, NSIDC
Reuse
This item is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ You may reuse this item for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide attribution and offer any derivative works under a similar license.