Lucky last: Climate change and the role of clouds

Philosophers, artists, politicians and daydreaming kids have long looked to the sky’s ungraspable clouds in search of meaning. But those innocuous clumps of water and ice, seen by British poet William Wordsworth as lonely wanderers, are being closely watched by climate scientists for clues to our future.

Clouds and water vapour play an important part in climate change, but the exact details of their role remains cloudy, writes Graham Readfearn on ABC Environment (12 July 2010).

“It still remains one of the top challenges in climate research – getting a better understanding of clouds,” says Steve Sherwood, a professor of atmospheric physics at the University of New South Wales Climate Research Centre. “It’s the main known unknown in predicting future climate.”

Water vapour in the atmosphere is invisible and everywhere – it is our most abundant greenhouse gas. The way that water vapour affects the climate is similar to that of carbon dioxide, methane and other gases. They all absorb and re-emit radiation, acting like a blanket enfolding the globe. For more go to:

http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2010/07/12/2951257.htm