This review article provides a synthesis and perspective on how weather and climate extreme events can play a role in influencing tipping elements and triggering tipping points in the Earth System. An example of a potential critical global tipping point, induced by climate extremes in an increasingly warmer climate, is Amazon rainforest dieback that could be driven by regional increases in droughts and exacerbated by fires, in addition to deforestation. A tipping element associated with the boreal forest might also be vulnerable to heat, drought and fire. An oceanic example is the potential collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation due to extreme variability in freshwater inputs, while marine heatwaves and high acidity extremes can lead to coral reef collapse. Extreme heat events may furthermore play an important role in ice sheet, glacier and permafrost stability. Regional severe extreme events could also lead to tipping in ecosystems, as well as in human systems, in response to climate drivers. However, substantial scientific uncertainty remains on mechanistic links between extreme events and tipping points. Earth observations are of high relevance to evaluate and constrain those links between extreme events and tipping elements, by determining conditions leading to delayed recovery with a potential for tipping in the atmosphere, on land, in vegetation, and in the ocean. In the subsurface ocean, there is a lack of consistent, synoptic and high frequency observations of changes in both ocean physics and biogeochemistry. This review article shows the importance of considering the interface between extreme events and tipping points, two topics usually addressed in isolation, and the need for continued monitoring to observe early warning signs and to evaluate Earth system response to extreme events as well as improving model skill in simulating extremes, compound extremes and tipping elements.

这篇综述文章对天气和气候极端事件如何在影响地球系统中的引爆要素和触发引爆点方面发挥作用进行了综合和展望。亚马逊雨林枯萎可能是由气候日益变暖的极端气候引发的潜在关键全球临界点的一个例子，这可能是由区域性干旱增加驱动的，除了森林砍伐之外，火灾还加剧了这种情况。与北方森林相关的倾翻因素也可能容易受到高温、干旱和火灾的影响。一个海洋的例子是由于淡水输入的极端变化，大西洋经向翻转环流可能崩溃，而海洋热浪和高酸度极端情况可能导致珊瑚礁崩溃。极端高温事件可能进一步对冰盖、冰川和永久冻土的稳定性发挥重要作用。区域性严重极端事件也可能导致生态系统和人类系统倾覆，以应对气候驱动因素。然而，极端事件和临界点之间的机制联系仍然存在很大的科学不确定性。地球观测对于评估和限制极端事件和倾翻因素之间的联系具有高度相关性，通过确定导致延迟恢复的条件，并可能在大气、陆地、植被和海洋中倾翻。在地下海洋中，缺乏对海洋物理学和生物地球化学变化的一致、天气和高频观测。 这篇综述文章显示了考虑极端事件和临界点之间界面的重要性，这两个主题通常是单独讨论的，需要持续监测以观察早期预警信号和评估地球系统对极端事件的响应，以及提高模拟极端、复合极端和临界要素的模型技能。