The cloudy coverage of the Earth decreases at a rapid rate, intensifying global warming and contributing to record temperatures worldwide, according to an international study attended by Australian researchers.
The study, based on satellite data collected for 24 years, found that between 1.5 and 3% of the areas with storm clouds in the world have decreased every decade, a tendency caused by climate change, as the changing winds and the extension of the tropics push the storm systems to the Poli, according to the Center of the Center. Research (Arc), from Monash University in Melbourne.
The land absorbs more solar energy, given that there are fewer clouds that reflect it in space, thus amplifying the heating effect resulting from greenhouse gas emissions, according to the study led by the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States, in collaboration with Australian researchers and published in Geophysical Researr.
The reduction of the cloudy coverage is currently considered the main reason why the land absorbs more solar energy, the new researches confirming that these changes are already at the origin of “recent extraordinary heating”, as said Christian Jakob, co -author and director of the Arc Center.
“It is an important piece in the puzzle of the understanding of the extraordinary recent heating that I have noticed and an alarm for urgent climatic actions,” Jakob said, adding that the precise prediction of the formation of clouds and the reflection of solar light is essential for the anticipation of speed and the extent of the heating.
