The teeming life in the Southern Ocean, which encircles Antarctica, contributes to brightening the clouds that form there, according to a study published today in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.
The teeming life in the Southern Ocean, which encircles Antarctica, contributes to brightening the clouds that form there, according to a study published today in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. The clouds are bright because of their high density of water droplets, due in turn to a chain of atmospheric processes that eventually connects back to the Southern Ocean’s extraordinary phytoplankton productivity.
The study helps us better understand the natural processes of cloud formation, says Gerald “Jay” Mace, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Utah and the study’s lead author.
“We can use that knowledge to improve our understanding of how clouds reflect sunlight globally,” Mace says. “That, in turn, is key to predicting how much the earth warms and how precipitation patterns change.”
Read more at: University of Utah
Photo Credit: klickblick via Pixabay
