This is a model of the albedo effect. (Albedo is a measure of the reflectivity of a surface. The albedo effect is a measure of how much of the Sun's energy is reflected back into space.)
Question(s): How long will the ice island persist under different conditions? Is there an equilibrium state where the ice island can persist indefinitely?
Purpose: This model enables me to see which factors contribute to the length of time the ice island exists.
Variables: The initial size of the land mass covered in ice.
The % of solar energy reflected by ice. The % solar energy absorbed by water. Rate at which heat dissipates.
Processes: The sun creates solar energy which lands in the ocean or on the ice. If the solar energy lands on ocean, it mostly gets absorbed as heat. Whereas If the solar energy lands on ice, it mostly gets reflected. As the water heats up the ice island melts creating greater surface of ocean, thus more area to absorb heat.