The Earth is Fading
Global warming may influence the globe in ways we never imagined.
-
To establish the study's findings, over 20 years of data were collected from 1998 to 2017
Observing the Earth's sunshine that gives the moon its radiance, researchers were able to measure Earth's reflectance or what is known as albedo.
The measurements revealed that Earth currently reflects roughly half a watt less light per square meter than it did in 1998, implying a 0.5 percent drop in reflectance.
Earth's brightness is determined by the quantity of sunlight that reaches it as well as the planet's reflectivity. Because the two elements were not in synchronization, something on Earth is driving the dimming, especially in recent years, according to the research published on the Science Alert website.
Low-lying clouds over the eastern Pacific Ocean, according to the research team, had a significant impact on the Earth's luminosity.
Earth dimming is connected to climate change and global warming. Ocean surface temperatures are rising in the same places where bright clouds are diminishing, potentially due to the reversal of a climatic phenomenon known as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.
Experts are now urging for more detailed measurements to be performed in the coming years. It was thought that a hotter globe would result in a higher albedo, which would help to mitigate some of the heat, but it appears that the reverse is happening.
