Geophys. Res. Lett. http://doi.org/hqx (2012)
Arctic sea ice has been decreasing for the past 30 years. Model simulations of sea-ice extent have a tendency to underestimate this decline, with cloud feedback being a large source of uncertainty. Improved knowledge of the role of clouds in Arctic climate is needed to improve predictions of sea-ice cover in coming years.
Clouds are known to influence sea-ice growth and melt. To improve quantification of this relationship, Yinghui Liu, of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and colleagues studied satellite data from 2000–2010, to measure sea-ice coverage and cloud amount.
Results show that for each 1% decrease in sea ice there is around a 0.4–0.5% increase in cloud cover during the July–November period. Increased cloud amount constitutes a positive climate feedback by trapping longwave radiation, which leads to greater warming and further accentuates sea-ice melt. 22–34% of cloud variability is linked to variability of sea ice. These findings indicate that further warming and sea-ice melt in coming years could lead to cloudier skies in the Arctic.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wake, B. Open water and cloudy skies. Nature Clim Change 2, 230 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1480
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1480