Notes: From A. Barrie Pittock, Climate Change: The Science, Impacts & Solutions (2nd Edition, 2009) p. 122.

"Projected climate changes during the present century and beyond have the potential to initiate future large-scale and possibly irreversible changes in various Earth systems, resulting in impacts at continental or global scales. Fred Pearce in the New Scientist (12 February 2005) aptly referred to these possibilities as 'waking the sleeping giants'.

They are suggested by some model simulations and by past historical and palaeo-records (see Chapter 2). Their likelihood within the next 100 years is in most cases considered to be low, although some scientists argue that more rapid changes are possible...with possibly huge impacts on natural and human systems."

These "sleeping giants" include large, abrupt changes such as:

• rapid sea level rise due to melting ice sheets
• methane "burbs" from tundra and sea floor
• ecosystem collapse, releasing more CO2
• change in ocean circulation

Bite Source: A. Barrie Pittock

Image Source: here