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| Is the Earth cooling itself? https://hm.dinofly.com/UP/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=203 |
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| Author: | loveandgratitude [ Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:36 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Is the Earth cooling itself? |
Is the Earth cooling itself? Cloud level has fallen by 1% a year over last decade 'in response to global warming' That's the finding by a new NASA-funded university study based on satellite data. The results have potential implications for future global climate. Scientists at the University of Auckland in New Zealand analysed the first 10 years of global cloud-top height measurements (from March 2000 to February 2010) from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft. The study, published recently in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, revealed an overall trend of decreasing cloud height. Global average cloud height declined by around one percent over the decade, or by around 100 to 130 feet. Most of the reduction was due to fewer clouds occurring at very high altitudes. Lead researcher Roger Davies said that while the record is too short to be definitive, it provides a hint that something quite important might be going on. Longer-term monitoring will be required to determine the significance of the observation for global temperatures. A consistent reduction in cloud height would allow Earth to cool more efficiently, reducing the surface temperature of the planet and potentially slowing the effects of global warming. This may represent a ‘negative feedback’ mechanism - a change caused by global warming that works to counteract it. ‘We don't know exactly what causes the cloud heights to lower,’ says Davies. ‘But it must be due to a change in the circulation patterns that give rise to cloud formation at high altitude.’ NASA's Terra spacecraft is scheduled to continue gathering data through the remainder of this decade. Scientists will continue to monitor the MISR data closely to see if this trend continues. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... z1nFcs0XpD |
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