| Low Clouds
Low clouds lead to a planetary cooling. They reflect large amounts of solar radiation back to
space but do little to change OLR since their tops are relatively warm
(low).
|
High Clouds
High clouds contribute to planetary warming. High clouds reflect some solar radiation but more importantly, they significantly reduce OLR because their tops are cold (high). Thus they trap energy in the Earth system. |
Some scientists believe that
the amount of cirrus clouds will increase with a warmer planet. Is this
a positive or negative feedback to global warming?