Stratocumulus clouds on Earth
How do low cloud feedbacks affect past and future warm periods on Earth?
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
MIT
How do low cloud feedbacks affect past and future warm periods on Earth?
Stratocumulus clouds are low clouds that cover about 20% of Earth's surface and strongly reflect incoming solar radiation. However, these clouds may be unstable and/or weaken under high CO2 scenarios. Therefore, understanding how stratocumulus clouds evolve with CO2 is important for predicting future warming due to anthropogenic carbon emissions and understanding past warm climates, such as the Eocene (~50 Mya).