Image Credit: tipiro
8 Minute Interview
Norman Loeb: We really don’t have a long enough reliable global data set to say what clouds are doing to the climate system.
Physical scientist Norman Loeb is a principal investigator of the NASA instrument called CERES, short for Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System, on board the Aqua and Terra satellites. Since 1999, CERES instruments have orbited the Earth via satellite.
Norman Loeb: They really are geared to capture all of the radiation that’s reflected or emitted from the planet.
That radiation is sunlight, said Loeb, reflected into space from the tops of clouds, the Earth’s surface, and atmospheric particles. The radiation also includes heat emitted from the Earth’s surface and atmosphere. Knowing how much energy leaves the Earth tells scientists a lot about global climate.
Norman Loeb: Earth’s climate is really driven by a delicate balance between how much of the sun’s energy is absorbed by the Earth as visible light, and how much the Earth emits to space in the form of infrared radiation.
The role of clouds in climate is complex and not well understood, said Loeb, because they both cool the planet by reflecting sunlight and keep it warm by trapping heat. So what will be the role of clouds as our climate warms?
Norman Loeb: Will a warmer climate reduce global cloud cover? Will it increase the height of clouds? Will it change the thickness of clouds? So all of these are important scientific questions that we’ll need to address.
Dr. Loeb talked more about the goals of the CERES mission.
Norman Loeb:The objective is to observe the Earth’s radiation budget, together with the clouds, and also, we have’t mentioned, the aerosols as well, which are important in this issue. Observing these and other atmospheric and surface properties over several years, and preferably over several decades, enables us to improve our understanding of how the climate system is changing and really provides an invaluable resource for testing climate models that are used to simulate future climate change.
Loeb spoke of some of the challenges of studying the effects of clouds on climate.
Norman Loeb: In terms of what evidence, in terms of the clouds and what they’re doing to climate right now, we really don’t have a long enough reliable global data set to say what clouds are doing to the climate system. There’s a lot of natural variability to the system, and to be able to tease out a significant change in clouds in such a short period is very difficult. So I think we need to keep measuring over long time scales and have the accuracy that’s needed as well, that’s the important thing.
Our thanks today to NASA’s Aqua Mission, improving our knowledge of our home planet through satellite observations.
First, I would have to say the clouds are a result of climate, not the cause of climate. Second, it is true that we don\’t have enough years of data to have any meaningful regression statistics. But, the big news is that the \”global warming data\” was all falsified. It is a giant hoax, folks. The sky is not falling. However, our economies are. There is the real danger of starvation and famine.
Good point, Benjamin. Here’s what Dr. Loeb said during the interview about the role of clouds in Earth’s climate.
Norman Loeb: Clouds are a natural part of the system. They aren’t part of the forcing. The forcing is really what’s causing the changes in the global warming. Clouds respond to the warming in one way or another. And so there is a feedback process that occurs with clouds in response to the warming as well as water vapor. So you can’t say that the clouds are responsible for x amount of global warming, at this point. But you can say that the global warming is causing a change in clouds, which may enhance, or mitigate, some of the warming.
Great post about cloud!
VISIT DUBAI
This is an interesting subject.Very interested in aerosols and their circulation around the globe.such as, where the fallout from War zones is carried,how far and what are in these aerosols,can these aerosols have nano particle matter that stays aloft longer ,thus able to travel further. Is any of this helping to darken polar ice not just with carbon but other particles as well.Is there barium or aluminum oxide in samples?
If anyone knows where I can get more information on this, it woud be appreciated.
Leuren Moret has covered some of this material in reference to Depleted Uranium and aerosols & radiation around nuclesr power plants
not real good news mind you.
Rob, thank you for the heads up about Leuren Moret’s work. Interesting …
Best,
Deborah
Global warming is really a significant concern. Lots of people count it out or just don’t really think about it at all. While it might not be having a direct impact on us correct now in our everyday lives, or so individuals think, it will certainly be an concern for our children. What do you believe?