TheEarth’s clouds have fallen slightly lower (1% on average) throughout the first decade of this century, according to a new study based on data from NASA satellites reveals. The results could have implications for the global climate.
Scientists at the University of Auckland (New Zealand) analyzed the first 10 years of global high-altitude cloud measurements using the Multi-Angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR), an instrument aboard the spacecraft.Landfrom NASA. The study, published in the journalGeophysical Research Letters, reveals a general trend of decreasing cloud height. The average height of cloud masses has decreased from 30 to 40 meters in the last 10 years.
Lead researcher Roger Davies says that while the record is too short to be definitive, it provides an indication that something important might be going on in Earth’s atmosphere. Although a longer-term follow-up is required to determine the effects of the phenomenon on global temperatures, everything indicates that uA steady reduction in cloud height would allow the Earth to cool more efficiently, releasing heat into space and thus counteracting the effects of global warming, which would slow down. It is planned that the satelliteLandcontinue to collect data for the rest of this decade. Scientists have announced that they will closely monitor the MISR data to see if the trend continues.
