Cloud cover and climate change

According to research published back in April, the biggest climate changes in the 21st century may occur more due to changes in high altitude cloud cover, in response to increased temperatures from rising greenhouse gas concentrations, rather than due to the initial temperature increases themselves: Global warming due to increasing absorbed solar radiation, published in Geophysical Research Letters.

Reduced cloud cover would reduce the amount of sunlight that gets reflected back into space, rather than striking the surface of the Earth. As such, it would produce further warming. Based on evaluation of simulations used in preparing the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC, this effect may be of greater magnitude than the initial warming due to increased absorption of outgoing long-wave radiation by greenhouse gasses.

While the result certainly cannot be considered definitive now, it underscores the importance of improving climate models and incorporating the key feedback effects into them. Only when that has been done can more precise estimates of the climatic sensitivity of the planet be produced, as well as more accurate regional projections.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here. View all posts by Milan