Data Center: Clouds
At any one time, nearly 70% of the Earth is under some kind of cloud
cover. Indeed, far from being a Green or Blue Planet (for its forests and
oceans) as it is often depicted, Earth is a White Planet of clouds. Clouds are
critically important parts of the global energy budget and of our planet's
ecosystems and our human economy: they reflect sunlight back out into space that
would otherwise heat our planet well above its current temperature, they
transport fresh water from the evapouration of oceans over land to feed rivers
and rain on agriculture fields.
© Copyright 2008 Barbara Schoeberl