Cloudy Concerns

Stratocumulous and cirrus clouds play an important role in setting the earth's temperature, and are the subject of study in view of the predicted greenhouse effect. Clouds both warm and cool the earth: because they are white they reflect light and cool the earth's surface, but they also tr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inScience news (Washington) Vol. 136; no. 7; pp. 106 - 110
Main Author Monastersky, Richard
Format Magazine Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Science Service 12.08.1989
Society for Science & the Public
Subjects
Artificial satellites
Atmospheric general circulation models
Cirrus clouds
Climate change
Climate models
Clouds
Global climate models
Global warming
Greenhouse effect
Meteorology
Oceans
Stratocumulus clouds
Weather
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ISSN0036-8423
1943-0930
DOI10.2307/3973728

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Summary:Stratocumulous and cirrus clouds play an important role in setting the earth's temperature, and are the subject of study in view of the predicted greenhouse effect. Clouds both warm and cool the earth: because they are white they reflect light and cool the earth's surface, but they also trap infrared radiation. High, ice-filled cirrus clouds warm the earth because they absorb more infrared energy than they emit, and cannot radiate much of this energy away to the colder levels of the troposphere. Stratocumulus clouds cool the earth; they are filled with water drops that reflect the sun's radiation back to space. A decade-long research project called FIRE is in the process of analyzing and predicting the possible effects of these clouds on temperature patterns.
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ISSN:0036-8423
1943-0930
DOI:10.2307/3973728