Earth's cloud cover is rapidly shrinking and contributing to record-breaking temperatures, according to new research involving the Monash-led Australian Research Council Center of Excellence for 21st Century Weather.
The research, led by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published in Geophysical Research Letters, analyzed satellite observations to find between 1.5% and 3% of the world's storm cloud zones have been contracting each decade in the past 24 years.
The trend has been linked to changing wind patterns, the expansion of the tropics and storm systems shifting toward the North and South poles, which are all well-documented responses to climate change.
With fewer clouds reflecting sunlight back into space to keep the planet cool, the warming effect of greenhouse gas emissions is being amplified and driving up global temperatures
https://phys.org/news/2025-06-rapid-cloud-loss-contributing-temperatures.html
