Cloud feedback
Cloud Feedback
Cloud feedback (pronounced: /klaʊd 'fi:dbæk/) is a critical component in the climate system that influences the Earth's climate. It refers to the interaction between cloud coverage and climate change, and how changes in cloud cover affect the Earth's radiation budget.
Etymology
The term "cloud feedback" is derived from the English words "cloud", referring to a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere, and "feedback", which in this context refers to the process where some portion of an output is used as an input, creating a loop of cause and effect.
Definition
Cloud feedback is a mechanism that can either amplify or dampen the climate response to external forcings. It involves changes in cloud cover and properties in response to changes in the atmospheric temperature, which in turn affect the Earth's radiation budget. This feedback can be either positive, where changes in the system lead to further changes in the same direction, or negative, where changes lead to an opposite effect.
Types of Cloud Feedback
There are three main types of cloud feedback:
- Low cloud feedback: This involves changes in low-level clouds, which can have a cooling effect by reflecting sunlight back into space.
- High cloud feedback: This involves changes in high-level clouds, which can have a warming effect by trapping outgoing longwave radiation.
- Mixed cloud feedback: This involves changes in mixed-phase clouds, which can have both warming and cooling effects.
Related Terms
- Climate sensitivity: This is a measure of how responsive the temperature of the climate system is to a change in the radiative forcing.
- Radiative forcing: This is the difference between the sunlight absorbed by the Earth and energy radiated back to space.
- Cloud albedo: This is a measure of the reflectivity of clouds, which affects the amount of sunlight that is reflected back into space.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Cloud feedback
- Wikipedia's article - Cloud feedback
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski