Some are currently assessed as having a fairly low probability of occurring before 2100.

Singular catastrophic events (relative to natural variations) with an extraordinary (negative) global impact have received increasing attention. Substantial efforts have been made to carry out research and raise awareness of tipping points in the Earth system under human-induced climate change ( 1, 2). These tipping points in combination with gradual changes need to be addressed as seriously as singular catastrophic events in order to prevent the cumulative and often compounding negative societal and Earth system impacts. High-probability high-impact ocean tipping points due to warming, ocean acidification, and deoxygenation may be more fragmented both regionally and in time but add up to global dimensions. Climate-induced tipping points are traditionally associated with singular catastrophic events (relative to natural variations) of dramatic negative impact.

Prevention of negative impacts requires mitigation efforts based on feasible research-based pathways. The identification and monitoring of such changes, which also includes tipping points, is an ongoing and emerging research effort. Some of these changes are happening fast and may be difficult to reverse. Anthropogenic climate change profoundly alters the ocean’s environmental conditions, which, in turn, impact marine ecosystems.

Oceans by Simon Holland