14 DAY TRIAL // Global warming is triggered mostly by greenhouse gases, which trap the infrared light responsible for heat, between the layer of atmosphere situated between the ground and the lower part of the clouds, which determines a heating process of the whole Earth. It is generally believed that at the rate we are dispersing greenhouse gases, the global warming will be accelerated.
Certain studies made by Doctor Roy Spencer, principal researcher in UA Huntsville's Earth System Science Center, show that instead of creating more clouds, individual tropical warming cycles that increase global warming produce a decrease in the coverage of the heat trapping cirrus clouds. This means that actually the amount of infrared radiation trapped inside the atmosphere, is smaller.
Clouds closer to the surface of the Earth have a cooling effect due to the shading effect they produce, but cirrus clouds reside in a much higher part of the atmosphere and have a big impact on the acceleration of global warming.
In the tropics, due to the warming effect, more water is evaporated from the oceans and seas and this amplifies the cloudiness, which determines less radiation to escape the atmosphere, and thus the greenhouse effect is accelerated.
This discovery made by Dr. Spencer means that the estimates regarding the acceleration of the global warming effect could be reduced by over 75 percent. All clime models suggest that clouds amplify warming, but Dr. Spencer now believes that clouds can do more than that and could have a more dramatic effect, helping to reduce future climate changes as much as possible.
The study conducted by Dr. Spencer was made on data received from NASA and NOAA satellites. They used it to track the amounts of precipitation, the air and sea surface temperatures, high and low altitude cloud cover, the reflected sunlight and infrared radiation reflected back into space. They found that though the amounts of rainfall and warming effects were increasing, actually there was more infrared radiation escaping back into space; this behavior has been mainly observed in the cirrus clouds cover.
Generally global warming will generate rainfall and at least 80 percent of the natural greenhouse effect is produced by water vapors and clouds. Dr. Spencer's discovery is highly controversial these days and the long-term effects of Earth's clime are not yet known.