Clouds warm things up

Satellite data put hard numbers on key player in climate

Over the past decade, during short-term climate changes, clouds trapped heat in the Earth’s atmosphere and warmed the planet, a new study suggests.

FLUFFY BLANKET Clouds trap heat and warm the climate overall, says the best measurement yet of their influence on climate. Kables/Flickr

The work is the most detailed look at how clouds affect climate — one of the biggest scientific unknowns in how much global warming to expect (SN: 12/4/10, p.