Looking for catastrophic tipping points
SEP 08, 2009
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.023663
Wired.com : Tipping points are found in ecosystems, economies, and even bodies. But they’re usually recognized in retrospect, when it’s too late for anything but regret.Now a growing body of research suggests there are telltale mathematical signals. If scientists can figure out how to detect them, they may be able to forecast tipping points ahead of time."We are repeatedly blindsided by disasters that come out of the blue. If we had better tools for anticipating those events, we could avoid some of them,” said Steve Carpenter, a University of Washington ecologist.
© 2009 American Institute of Physics
