Something weird is happening with the clouds of the planet. Something that will bring not very pleasant consequences

Where are the clouds born? The answer to that question can become much more complex than it seems. Because yes, the clouds are formed in the sky, or in the atmosphere, but the layer of gases that surrounds our planet is vast and in it intermingle predictable factors with chaos.

Complex and changing. Trying to answer this question, some scientists have encountered an additional problem: the place where the clouds are born It is changing. The area of ​​the earth’s surface in which these clusters arise has moved and has shrunk what has important implications in the climate and weather of the planet.

They are the results of two studies published in recent years, The first In August 2024 in the magazine Climate Dynamicsand The second In May of this year in Geophysical Research Letters.

Three cloud stripes. The first of the studies observed how the cloud areas located on the oceans of both hemispheres have moved and contracted throughout the last 35 years. The study focused on three zones: one, called Interopical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) located near Ecuador Earth; and the other two located in average latitudes, approximately between parallel and 60 north and south.

Through observations of instruments such as the modis (Moderate Resolution Imptotroadiometer) On board the Aqua satellite, the team was able to map the areas of greatest cloudiness as well as their evolution over time.

Interpreting the data. According to The US Space Agency explainsNASA, the tormentous clouds that run through our planet are usually forming in the vertices of large -scale atmospheric circulation areas, such as hagley cells, polar and hard -latter cells or average latitude cells. More specifically in the areas where the currents associated with these cells converge and make warm and humid air ascend.

In contrast, the convergence areas where currents carry cold and dry air from upper layers of the atmosphere to lower altitudes correspond to the areas where the heavens tend to be more clear.

Change in the trend. The study of the clouds gives us clues about the dynamics of these torments of the planet. The responsible team calculated for example that the area contracted between 1.5% and 3% per decade In recent years.

As NASA details, the ITCZ ​​narrowed and the tormented areas in average latitudes moved to their respective poles at the same time that they also contracted. In contrast, the subtopics clear areas expanded.

More than a matter of color. The most recent of the studies addresses the climatic implications of change in the cloud patterns of the planet. And it is that the climate our “blue marble” depends a lot on the clouds that overshadow the atmosphere and dye it occasionally in white since this layer of clouds depends on the amount of solar energy that reaches us due to the albedo.

The clouds reflect the light and therefore the solar energy that reaches the surface of the Earth, so less clouds implies more energy and more heat. According to study estimates, change implies that oceans absorb 0.37 watts per square meter more per decade due to these changes.

And climate change? We could fall into the error of assuming that this change explains the tendency towards global warming that we associate with anthropogenic climate change but the truth is that climatic models already incorporate these changes into them. In fact, a previous estimate made by the instruments of Ceres (Clouds and The Earth’s Radiant Energy System) estimated at 0.47 watts per square meter and for decade the increase in solar radiation that the planet receives as a whole.

These changes contribute to the “energy imbalance” that implies heating, but they do not explain it for themselves. “These new findings suggest that the loss of oceanic tormented clouds is a key factor in the imbalance,” He explained George Tseliudis to NASAmember of the team responsible for the studies. According to the expert, these changes could also Help explain The anomalo oceanic warming seen a couple of years ago and that caused the North Atlantic to beat numerous temperature records.

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Image | Michala Garrison, Modis Atmosphere Science Team / Tseliudis et al (2024), Dscovr Epic