Nature 376, 486 - 490 (10 August 2002); doi:10.1038/376486a0

The variable effect of clouds on atmospheric absorption of solar radiation

Zhanqing Li^*, Howard W. Barker^† & Louis Moreau^‡

^* Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, 588 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1V OJ6, Canada
^† Atmospheric Environment Service, Downsview, Ontario, Canada
^‡ Intera Information Technologies Corporation, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

A four-year global record of solar flux observed from both space and the Earthᤙs surface allows an examination of the effect of clouds on the atmospheric absorption of solar radiation. The results indicate that, contrary to some recent suggestions, the effect of clouds is highly variable and present general circulation models should be able to incorporate cloud absorption into climate simulations.

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