Clouds' Effect on Heat: What Role Does the Sky Play?

Have you ever wondered how clouds affect the Earth's temperature? It turns out, the surrounding sky plays a big role too! Scientists used data from the CERES satellite to study five tropical regions: Africa and the Amazon over land, and the eastern and western Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They found that the way we measure the sky’s heat can change how we understand clouds’ impact on temperature. For instance, in the ocean and the Amazon, the immediate environment of clouds makes the shortwave (SW) radiation effect negative (cooling) and the longwave (LW) effect positive (warming). But in Africa, it’s the opposite! The SW effect is positive (warming), and the LW effect is also positive (warming).

When you average everything out, the immediate environment around clouds can change the overall cooling or warming effect. Four out of the five regions show less cooling from clouds in the SW and less warming in the LW. But in Africa, it’s different. There, the immediate environment makes the SW effect more cooling and the LW effect less warming, leading to a net cooling effect. So, next time you look at the sky, remember that the surrounding clear sky can make a cloud's impact look different!

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