Clouds may not slow global warming as much as thought
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029729
New York Times : Clouds can consist of tiny liquid water droplets, tiny ice crystals, or both. In a recent study, researchers concentrated on mixed-phase clouds and their effect on global warming. The scientists found that such clouds have more water and less ice than expected, and that the water–ice ratio will continue to grow as the atmosphere warms. Although water droplets reflect more solar radiation back into the sky than ice crystals do, the fact that there is less ice to begin with may reduce the clouds’ cooling effect. The researchers caution that there is still a high level of uncertainty in exactly how much loss there will be in such clouds’ cooling power, but the findings mean it will almost certainly be harder to keep global warming to the 2 °C limit set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
