Controversies in Science/Are humans causing global warming/A Critique of Space observations of cold-cloud phase change

(Review Paper) Cited in Controversies in Science/Are humans causing global warming/A Critique of Space observations of cold-cloud phase change

Points Made

The increased effects of cloud glaciations due to dust aerosols is causing the greenhouse effect, however the increased reflectivity of the clouds has proven to be equal on both sides, so the net thermal effect is relatively the same keeping the system in equilibrium.

The dust from the clouds is causing the sun to reflect off of the clouds instead of being retained inside the clouds. The sunlight reflects back onto the ground and into space.

Methods

A satellite survery and LIDAR observations were used to evaluate previous computer models, and update prior assumptions.

Results

Previous assumptions were deemed to be inaccurate, and new data suggests that cloud reflectivity on the solar side of the clouds is proportional to the earth side cancelling out any negative effects.

Primarily, the consideration of the effect on dust particulate aerosols on ice nucleation in supercooled cloud fractions showed that as dust aerosols increased, the supercooled water particles condensed into ice crystals which created thinner clouds. These thinner clouds led to a decrease in cloud albedo which compensated for the increased albedo due to the dust particles themselves.

This effect was seen most drastically in nations with large amounts of released aerosols such as China, India and Brazil where the supercooled cloud fractions were much lower than the rates in a non-contaminated sample taken from Antarctica.