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Course: NOVA Labs > Unit 1
Lesson 6: Clouds- The making of a cloud
- The making of a cloud quiz
- Why so many cloud types?
- Why so many cloud types quiz
- Clouds and weather
- Clouds and weather quiz
- Severe storms
- Severe storms quiz
- The climate wild card
- The climate wild card quiz
- The Coriolis effect
- The Coriolis effect quiz
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The climate wild card
Clouds have a huge effect on our planet's overall temperature. And yet we don't know how clouds will change as the planet warms. Scientists are scrambling to answer this important question.
. Created by NOVA.
Want to join the conversation?
- Does the warming/cooling effect differ with the latitude? I once saw an episode of the show "Survivorman." In it, the host was stranded in the arctic. He mentioned that when it's cloudy, it's much warmer because the clouds have an overall warming effect. Would the clouds serve as warming blankets in the high latitudes and overall cooling shades in the lower latitudes?(2 votes)
- Video addressed this at about1:45. Low, dense clouds prevent incoming heat, while higher, thinner cloud traps heat.(3 votes)
- When there is the Earth's overall temperature, does the temperature change that fast?(1 vote)
- No, it takes years for earths temperature to change. :) :) :) :) :)(2 votes)
- Is it possible to create artificial stratus clouds, to slow global warming?(4 votes)
- We most likely will invent artificial clouds, but it will take time.(1 vote)
- why will it change when the planet warms(1 vote)
- So when there is a stratascloud, there is a cooling affect, and when there is a cloud like cirrus clouds, there is a warming affect. But my question is, that is there a difference between the two affects? Which affect is possibly better for Earth, Earth's surface, or for the people maybe?(1 vote)
- You should check out the coriolis effect. The link is:
https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/nova/clouds/v/hurricanes
Please reply if it does not help.(1 vote)
- does this mean that clouds can change the temperature so much that we die?(1 vote)