{"id":384697,"date":"2025-06-24T17:18:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T15:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=384697"},"modified":"2025-06-24T17:18:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T15:18:18","slug":"new-study-the-cloud-radiative-effect-is-the-crucial-missing-piece-explaining-21st-century-warming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=384697","title":{"rendered":"New Study: The Cloud Radiative Effect Is The \u2018Crucial Missing Piece\u2019 Explaining 21st Century Warming"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From NoTrickZone<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0Kenneth Richard<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another observational analysis finds the shortwave effect of clouds is the \u201cthe dominant term of the recent increase in absorbed solar radiation\u201d explaining 2001-2024 warming.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the authors of a new study<\/a><\/strong>, clouds are the primary modulators of the Earth\u2019s shortwave and longwave radiation. Thus, the radiative effects of clouds \u201cplay a crucial role in determining the Earth\u2019s energy balance\u201d and \u201cdominate the radiative balance trends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite observations indicate that from 2001-2024 there was a 0.45 W\/m\u00b2 per decade increase in solar radiation reaching the Earth\u2019s surface. This 1 W\/m\u00b2 rising trend in absorbed solar radiation was primarily caused by declining cloud cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe increase in the absorbed solar radiation is driven primarily by a decrease in the reflection of SW radiation by clouds.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shortwave cloud radiative effect (SWCRE) is thus regarded as the \u201ccrucial missing piece\u201d in explaining 21st century warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[C]hanges of only a few percent in the relative coverage of the [cloud] regimes produce large cloud radiative signatures that can dominate the radiative balance trends\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Image Source:\u00a0Tselioudis et al., 2025<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Another observational analysis finds the shortwave effect of clouds is the \u201cthe dominant term of the recent increase in absorbed solar radiation\u201d explaining 2001-2024 warming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":384701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691836024,691830417,691820001,691836025],"class_list":["post-384697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-2001-2024-warming","tag-cloud-radiative-effect","tag-satellite-observations","tag-shortwave-cloud-radiative-effect-swcre","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-500.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1C4N","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":442941,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=442941","url_meta":{"origin":384697,"position":0},"title":"Western Tibetan Vortex Drives Spring Warming Through Cloud Reduction and Increased Sunshine","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/07\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Tibetan Plateau, often called the \u201cThird Pole,\u201d experiences rapid warming that influences water resources, ecosystems, and weather patterns across Asia. 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Declining cloud cover has meant less shortwave radiation has been reflected to space, resulting in an increase in the solar radiation absorbed by the Earth\u2019s surface (ocean).","rel":"","context":"In \"CERES (Clouds and the Earth\u2019s Radiant Energy System)\"","block_context":{"text":"CERES (Clouds and the Earth\u2019s Radiant Energy System)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=ceres-clouds-and-the-earths-radiant-energy-system"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0AdobeStock_266865139.jpg?fit=1200%2C668&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0AdobeStock_266865139.jpg?fit=1200%2C668&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0AdobeStock_266865139.jpg?fit=1200%2C668&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, 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Imbalance]","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=eei-earths-energy-imbalance"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/01868412.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/01868412.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/01868412.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/01868412.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/01868412.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":269438,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=269438","url_meta":{"origin":384697,"position":4},"title":"How Climate Models Get 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