Ice shards in Antarctic clouds let more solar energy reach Earth’s surface

Ice shards in Antarctic clouds let more solar energy reach Earth’s surface

Clouds come in myriad shapes, sizes and types, which control their effects on climate. New research shows that splintering of frozen liquid droplets to form ice shards inside Southern Ocean clouds dramatically affects the clouds’ ability to reflect sunlight back to space.

Ice shards in Antarctic clouds let more solar energy reach Earth's surface

Clouds come in myriad shapes, sizes and types, which control their effects on climate. New research led by the University of Washington shows that splintering of frozen liquid droplets to form ice shards inside Southern Ocean clouds dramatically affects the clouds' ability to reflect sunlight back to space.

Ice shards in Antarctic clouds let more solar energy reach Earth’s surface

Including the splintering of ice inside clouds around Antarctica improves high-resolution global models’ ability to simulate clouds over the Southern Ocean �

Ice shards in Antarctic clouds let more solar energy reach Earth’s surface

Including the splintering of ice inside clouds around Antarctica improves high-resolution global models' ability to simulate clouds over the Southern Ocean – and thus the models’ ability to...