Climate Tipping Points Live research feed

Climate Tipping Points interactive atlas

Select a tipping point to see the newest science on how tipping points could transform Earth's climate.

10 systems · Live Crossref research feed
10 systems shownSelect a marker to investigate
GreenlandAs the ice sheet loses height, its surface encounters warmer air, amplifying melt and potentially committing Greenland to long-term disintegration.West AntarcticaMuch of the ice rests on bedrock below sea level. Retreat into deeper basins can become self-sustaining once grounding lines destabilize.AMOCFreshening and warming of the North Atlantic can weaken deep-water formation and the salt-advection feedback that sustains the circulation.Arctic sea iceSummer sea ice is not generally expected to tip under anthropogenic forcing, but winter ice may have multiple states and sea-ice loss can amplify other transitions.PermafrostIce-rich ground can collapse abruptly into thermokarst landscapes, while thaw exposes ancient carbon to decomposition and greenhouse-gas release.AmazonWarming, drought, fire, and deforestation can reinforce one another, reducing rainfall and shifting forest toward degraded or open states.Coral reefsRepeated marine heatwaves can outrun recovery, shifting diverse coral systems toward degraded, algae-dominated states.Boreal forestHeat, drought, insects, and fire may accelerate southern forest loss faster than tree cover can expand into the tundra to the north.West African monsoonLand-ocean temperature contrasts and feedbacks may reorganize Sahel rainfall, but models disagree on whether change would be abrupt and in which direction.ENSOENSO is a powerful source of global climate variability that can transmit and intensify stress across rainforests, monsoons, coral reefs, and polar ice.
Cryosphere Circulation Biosphere MediatorDashed lines show potential connections to the selected tipping element
Greenland research profile
West Antarctica research profile
AMOC research profile
Arctic sea ice research profile
Permafrost research profile
Amazon research profile
Coral reefs research profile
Boreal forest research profile
West African monsoon research profile
ENSO research profile

Across the Earth system

Key publications on tipping points as a whole

The map above organizes research on individual tipping elements. These publications take a wider view: they assess multiple elements, shared mechanisms, interactions, evidence, and the value and limits of the tipping-point concept itself.

  1. Armstrong McKay et al. (2022)

    Exceeding 1.5°C global warming could trigger multiple climate tipping points

    Science 377: eabn7950

    Assessment of threshold ranges, transition timescales, and impacts for proposed tipping elements.

  2. Wunderling et al. (2024)

    Climate tipping point interactions and cascades: a review

    Earth System Dynamics 15: 41–74

    Review of stabilizing, destabilizing, and uncertain interactions among tipping elements.

  3. Wang et al. (2023)

    Mechanisms and Impacts of Earth System Tipping Elements

    Reviews of Geophysics 61: e2021RG000757

    Review of the mechanisms, timescales, impacts, and scientific uncertainties associated with major Earth system tipping elements.

  4. Liu et al. (2023)

    Teleconnections among Tipping Elements in the Earth System

    Nature Climate Change 13: 67–74

    Climate-network analysis of remote connections among tipping elements, including links between the Amazon and Tibetan Plateau.

  5. Lv et al. (2025)

    Land System Changes of Terrestrial Tipping Elements on Earth under Global Climate Pledges: 2000–2100

    Scientific Data 12: 163

    A one-kilometre-resolution dataset of historical and projected land-system change across terrestrial tipping elements.

  6. Romanou et al. (2025)

    Extreme Events Contributing to Tipping Elements and Tipping Points

    Surveys in Geophysics 46: 375–420

    Synthesis of how extreme events may influence tipping elements, trigger tipping points, and provide early-warning evidence.

  7. Boers et al. (2025)

    Destabilization of Earth System Tipping Elements

    Nature Geoscience 18: 949–960

    Review of observation-based evidence that four interconnected tipping elements have lost stability in recent decades.

  8. Kopp et al. (2025)

    ‘Tipping Points’ Confuse and Can Distract from Urgent Climate Action

    Nature Climate Change 15: 29–36

    A critical perspective on how tipping-point language can oversimplify climate risks and distract from effective action.