CLOUD-CLIMATE FEEDBACK

Clouds have a large effect on the climate by increasing the albedo of the Earth and also by decreasing the outgoing longwave radiation to space. The two effects nearly cancel. If the distribution of cloud amount and type is sensitive to the current climate state, then a change in the climate state will affect the clouds, which will in turn affect the climate state through a change in the next global energy balance. The mechanisms of such a cloud-climate feedback are uncertain.