COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Changes in the Earth's cloud cover will amplify global warming of the planet caused by human activities, a U.S. researcher says.
Andrew Dessler, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M, says warming due to increases in greenhouse gases will cause clouds to absorb more heat, which will lead to additional warming, a university release said Thursday.
"It's a vicious cycle -- warmer temperatures mean clouds trap more heat, which in turn leads to even more warming," Dessler says.
Climate models had long predicted that cloud feedback would amplify warming from human activities, and data from an instrument aboard a NASA satellite confirms it, Dessler says.
Some climate researchers have suggested clouds might cool the planet or at least keep temperatures stable, but Dessler's study supports the opposite theory, that clouds will make things even warmer.
"Based on my results, I think the chances that clouds will save us from dramatic climate change are pretty low," he says. "In fact, my work shows that clouds will likely be amplifying the warming from human activities".
"I think we can be pretty confident that temperatures will rise by several degrees Celsius over the next century if we continue our present trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions". UPI
