(July 25, 2015) New
research using NASA satellite data and ocean biology models suggests tiny
organisms in vast stretches of the Southern Ocean play a significant role in
generating brighter clouds overhead. Brighter clouds reflect more sunlight back
into space affecting the amount of solar energy that reaches Earth’s surface,
which in turn has implications for global climate. The results were published
July 17 in the journal Science Advances.
The study shows that plankton, the tiny drifting organisms
in the sea, produce airborne gases and organic matter to seed cloud droplets,
which lead to brighter clouds that reflect more sunlight.
"The clouds over the Southern Ocean reflect
significantly more sunlight in the summertime than they would without these
huge plankton blooms," said co-lead author Daniel McCoy, a University of Washington
doctoral student in atmospheric sciences. "In the summer, we get about
double the concentration of cloud droplets as we would if it were a
biologically dead ocean."
Although remote, the oceans in the study area between 35 and
55 degrees south is an important region for Earth's climate. Results of the
study show that averaged over a year, the increased brightness reflects about 4
watts of solar energy per square meter.
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