Could passing through an interstellar dust cloud have triggered a Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth?

Abstract

The Interstellar Dust Hypothesis has been posited as a possible triggering mechanism for a Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth event [Pavlov et al., 2005]. This hypothesis is reevaluated using a zero-dimensional computer energy balance model with a more accurate set of optical assumptions for the dust layer. It is determined that a model with a reflective and absorptive dust layer has about a 20% reduction in the radiative forcing caused by the dust layer as compared to a model with a purely reflective dust layer. This reduction in the radiative forcing suggests that the results obtained by Pavlov et al. [2005] may be an underestimate for the dust cloud densities required to trigger a Snowball Earth event. However, even with the percent reduction in the radiative forcing, both climate models experience a substantial decrease in the incoming solar energy and serious surface temperature reduction, which would likely result in noticeable climate changes.