Delayed albedo effects in a zero-dimensional climate model

Abstract A globally averaged radiative energy-balance model incorporating a time-delayed albedo has been investigated. The parameterization of the albedo in terms of the average global temperature is furthermore not monotonic since it incorporates a “link.” This irregularity is assumed to occur for a temperature range wherein the general circulation states of the atmosphere are associated with a high degree of cloud cover, i.e., a large albedo. The fundamental stability properties of the governing delay-differential equation have been resolved using analytical techniques. Numerical investigations have revealed that this simple model does justice to many of the qualitative features generally associated with more complex one-dimensional climate models. Hence it is capable of demonstrating auto-oscillatory behavior as well as a sequence of period-doubling bifurcations towards chaos.