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Thick clouds reflect a large amount of incoming solar radiation, translating to a high albedo. Thin clouds tend to transmit more solar radiation and, therefore, have a low albedo. Changes in cloud albedo caused by variations in cloud properties have a significant effect on global climate, having the ability to spiral into feedback loops. [3]
The interaction between cloud formation and climate change is an aspect of atmospheric science. Clouds have a dual role [6] in the Earth's climate system: they can cool the Earth's surface by reflecting incoming solar radiation (albedo effect) and warm it by trapping outgoing infrared radiation (greenhouse effect).
If climate change causes low-level cloud cover to become more widespread, then these clouds will increase planetary albedo and contribute to cooling, making the overall cloud feedback negative (one that slows down the warming). But if clouds become higher and thinner due to climate change, then the net cloud feedback will be positive and ...
Efforts to banish SO2 as a harmful air pollutant in China and elsewhere over the last decade have dampened its cooling effect and "unmasked" heat caused by greenhouse gases, thereby contributing ...
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Scientists subsequently tested the hypothesis. Some concluded that there was no evidence supporting the hypothesis. [3] Others found evidence suggesting that increased sea surface temperature (SST) in the tropics did indeed reduce cirrus clouds but found that the effect was nonetheless a positive climate feedback rather than the negative feedback that Lindzen had hypothesized.
This could be a potential tool to reduce global warming. [2] Cirrus cloud thinning is an alternative category of climate engineering, in addition to solar radiation management. In 2021 the IPCC described CCT as a proposal "to reduce the amount of cirrus clouds by injecting ice nucleating substances in the upper troposphere." However it reported ...
Marine cloud brightening: a proposed technique that would make clouds brighter, reflecting a small fraction of incoming sunlight back into space in order to offset anthropogenic global warming. [16] Mirrors in space (MIS): satellites that are designed to change the amount of solar radiation that impacts the Earth as a form of climate engineering.