Climate change forecast is partly cloudy

Global warming's impact on clouds – and vice versa -- remains one of the biggest wild cards in climate science. A new study out this week in the journal Science, which finds that clouds will amplify global warming, is certain to fuel the discussion.

Study author Andrew Dessler of Texas A&M says that warming due to increases in greenhouse gases will cause clouds to trap more heat, which will lead to additional warming.

"It's a vicious cycle – warmer temperatures mean clouds trap more heat, which in turn leads to even more warming," Dessler explains.

As noted by Dressler in the paper, "Clouds affect the climate by reflecting incoming solar radiation back to space, which tends to cool the climate, and by trapping outgoing infrared radiation, which tends to warm the climate."