Considering the factors involved in the formation of clouds, discuss the relationship of climate and clouds

Please see response attached, which is also presented below. I hope this helps your understanding about the relationship between climate and cloud formation.

RESPONSE:

Hi,

Let's take a closer look at these questions through discussion and example, which you can then draw on for your final response.

1. Considering the factors involved in the formation of clouds, discuss the relationship of climate and clouds. Would you expect such things as cloud height and the types of clouds to vary from one region to another due to differing climates? Why or why not?

The clouds are a main character in the climate scene, however their detailed role is yet to be determined. Climate models do not know how to deal with them effectively.

However, clouds seem to play a double role; on the one hand, they are bright and they reflect part of the radiation coming directly from the Sun back to space, having a cooling system because less energy arrives to the Earth surface. But on the other hand, the Earth releases to space energy too and clouds can act as a blanket, trapping that radiation which should have escaped to the space in the same way as the greenhouse gases. Which of the two effects is going to dominate depends on the type and altitude of the cloud. Thus, assessing their role in climate becomes nightmarish. It is believed though that in general, high cloud tends to warm the climate whereas low clouds tend to cool it, and that clouds in general have a cooling effect. Cloud warming or cooling will depend on cloud type, altitude, reflectivity, droplet size, and the changes in cloud cover will vary in latitude and longitude http://www.arm.ac.uk/climate/intro.html For example, certain types of clouds (i.e., marine stratocumulus) tend to cool the surface by reflecting sunlight, and certain types of clouds (i.e., cirrus) tend to warm the surface by allowing sunlight to pass through and then trapping the heat radiated by the surface (https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/ArbitersOfEnergy/0.

Clouds trap energy in the atmosphere. Thus, clouds are the arbiters the Earth's energy budget. They are so plentiful and widespread, clouds cover up to 60 percent of our planet at any given time. They play a major role in governing how much sunlight reaches the surface, how much sunlight is reflected back up to space, how and where warmth is spread around the globe, and how much heat escapes from the surface and atmosphere back into space. In short, clouds are a key component of Earth's climate system, and scientists cannot construct accurate global climate models until they gain a better understanding of cloud physics. Thus, clouds play a crucial role in regulating the balance of energy received by and emitted from the Earth, but scientists aren't sure exactly what this role is. How much solar energy do different types of clouds reflect? How much heat does clouds trap? How will clouds change as humans change the Earth's surface and atmosphere? New satellite instruments and controversial theories are motivating scientists to answer these questions. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/ArbitersOfEnergy/

2. Also, how would geography affect this process?

Geography affects this process, mainly because in different parts of the Earth different cloud types are more frequent, which impacts climate differentially. In other words, the amount of cloud warming or cooling of the climate is impacted by geography through different cloud types, altitude, latitude and longitude. http://www.arm.ac.uk/climate/intro.html
For example, currently, scientists are focusing their attention on the tropics because, over the course of a year, the tropics receive more of the sun's warmth than anywhere else on Earth. Air and ocean currents help spread this warmth toward the poles. Since the tropics are covered mostly by warm ocean water and since warmer water evaporates more readily, there is a direct relationship between higher sea surface temperatures and cloud formation. As mentioned above, certain types of clouds (i.e., marine stratocumulus) tend to cool the surface by reflecting sunlight, and certain types of clouds (i.e., cirrus) tend to warm the surface by allowing sunlight to pass through and then trapping the heat radiated by the surface. So there is a physical feedback loop between sea surface temperature and cloud formation in that each influences the other. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/ArbitersOfEnergy/

For example, one study compared cloud fraction (ranging from 0 to 100 percent cloudy) to escaping heat radiation during the month of February 2002. They found that the areas of most continuous cloud coverage correspond to the lowest amounts of heat radiating out into space. This is apparent in Indonesia, Africa, and South America. This understanding frames the importance of the original question: How will tropical clouds change if tropical sea surface temperatures warm significantly? One team of scientists recently proposed that the Earth has a built-in mechanism for changing the structure and distribution of certain types of clouds in the tropics to release more radiant energy into outer space as the surface warms (Lindzen et al. 2001). Dubbed the "Iris Hypothesis," this theory generated considerable buzz among science and political circles alike because, if true, it would mean that the Earth's climate system naturally counteracts global warming by allowing more heat to escape through the top of the atmosphere. Interesting area of study indeed! https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/ArbitersOfEnergy/