An extension of the Budyko model with iceline

Abstract

Budyko's energy model is a historic system of differential equations, capturing the effect of the water albedo on climate trends. This has been analyzed by many researchers and is the basis of our work. The position of the Earth's iceline, and its coupling with temperature, play a very important role in determining long term climate patterns (which range between extremes from a water covered to an ice covered Earth). We built upon established results of Budyko and others, and additionally studied how two important system parameters related to water purity (the glacier forming temperature, Tc, and the water albedo, _w) may impact the long-term climatic outcome. We found that perturbing either of these parameters had significant global effects. Moreover, these effects were enhanced when occurring in combination, and even more so when in the presence of an elevated greenhouse effect.