Global Warming --Cloud cover increase question?

Question

If the earth is heating up and ice is melting we have an increase in water in liquid and gas form correct? Isn't the end result an increase in cloud cover that will reflect sun and have a corresponding cooling effect? An anology might be a govenor on an engine maybe?

Answer 1

Very good point and one that hasn't gone unnoticed by those who are looking at ways of mitigating global warming.

As the earth warms up there's an increase in evapouration from the seas and oceans and this ultimately forms clouds. There is a limit to the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere (about 4% by volume at the highest atmospheric temperatures - 100% relative humidity). Roughly 1% of the atmosphere is water vapour so there's potential to increase this amount considerably.

Some clouds are more reflective than others - the heavy grey clouds that are associated with rain aren't very good at reflecting sunlight, the light fluffy ones are much better. The best ones are Marine Stratocumulii, a type of cloud that develops high in the atmosphere over the oceans. This has a very reflective upper surface which reflects a lot of sunlight back into space.

One scheme being looked at involves a fleet of vessels sailing the worlds oceans and spraying a fine mist of sea water into the air, the salt particles would form a nucleii around which a water droplet would form and together these would create artificial marine stratoculumii.

Answer 2

Yes. Increased clouds would cool the Earth. Clouds do not generate heat, the most they can do is insulate. So, increased clouds will also result in a lesser variance between highs and lows, but still cool. Increased clouds never "warm" as clouds either dark or light block sunlight from reaching the ground. Wind passing over moisture cools, evaporation cools, high humidity also helps stagnate temperature variations.

If we experience heavier cloud cover, we will experience overall cooling with lower temperature variations between highs and lows. This is something we experience all the time in the Pacific Northwest. Overall cooling could trigger another ice age or simply put things back in order.

The other thing we should keep in mind however, is the actual composition of our upper atmosphere. Global warming or no, if the layers are actually changing, as in Ozone or any other holes, we should address that situation. Increased cloud cover may reverse, halt, or balance out wamring but it can't repair layer changes. We have the technology to repair these holes and changes even though doing so may take decades or longer.

I would rather see us learn to heal our planet through technology than harm it. Healing the planet's ills does not require returning to subsitance farming and living in caves. Advancement created a lot of problems, and it is the only thing that can logically solve those problems. Clouds may increase and cool the planet, but that doesn't help our species much if we go extinct from some other environmental factor like layer changes or polution. Warm or cool planet not a big deal, healthy/liveable planet, REALLY big deal...

Answer 3

Cloud cover is just one of a hundred variables that could make the added CO2 cause more or less warming. There are even situations where more CO2 can result in cooling, if you assume the right relationship between CO2 and cloud cover. I am not convinced that science is up to the task of correctly predicting what the increasing levels of CO2 will really do to the climate. They still cannot explain what causes ice ages.

Answer 4

I'm not sure it alone offsets it. But cloud seeding seems to hold promise, it's a way to make clouds more reflective and if they're made 2% more reflective that's all we need to buy some time.

So we don't need more clouds(because that means waiting for even more melting and more melting and more melting and the problem can get much worse in the meantime), we need more reflective, whiter clouds.

Answer 5

Since clouds can both absorb and reflect solar radiation, they both warm and cool the Earth's surface. height, thickness and the radiative properties of clouds all effect their activities.

In most climate models, however, the cooling effect of clouds is not strong enough to counter other warming trends.

Answer 6

because of the fact no one has been waiting to illustrate a a million% improve in cloud cover exists. We additionally do no longer understand that extraterrestrial beings beaming down warmth rays are not inflicting it. merely as in all hazard. What we do comprehend is that uncomplicated physics proves the measured improve in CO2 would reason it. Given a examined reason, scientists are understandably reluctant to settle for the alien warmth ray theory.