Washington: The amount of rainfall in the Earth's tropical regions will significantly increase as our planet continues to warm, a new NASA study warns.
Most global climate models underestimate decreases in high clouds over the tropics seen in recent NASA observations, according to research led by scientist Hui Su of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the US.
Globally, rainfall is not related just to the clouds that are available to make rain but also to Earth's "energy budget" - incoming energy from the Sun compared to outgoing heat energy.
High-altitude tropical clouds trap heat in the atmosphere. If there are fewer of these clouds in the future, the tropical atmosphere will cool.
Judging from observed changes in clouds over recent decades, it appears that the atmosphere would create fewer high clouds in response to surface warming.
It would also increase tropical rainfall, which would warm the air to balance the cooling from... Read more
Most global climate models underestimate decreases in high clouds over the tropics seen in recent NASA observations, according to research led by scientist Hui Su of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the US.
Globally, rainfall is not related just to the clouds that are available to make rain but also to Earth's "energy budget" - incoming energy from the Sun compared to outgoing heat energy.
High-altitude tropical clouds trap heat in the atmosphere. If there are fewer of these clouds in the future, the tropical atmosphere will cool.
Judging from observed changes in clouds over recent decades, it appears that the atmosphere would create fewer high clouds in response to surface warming.
It would also increase tropical rainfall, which would warm the air to balance the cooling from... Read more