Climate Decade in Review Post 6: Mesospheric Clouds Brightening

January 29, 2004 - New research from British Antarctic Survey and University of Illinois is reported in Geophysical Research Letters related to polar mesospheric clouds. These clouds have brightened by 15% over the last 20 years, which, through a complex mechanism indicates global warming.

Pat Espy, scientist at the British Antarctic Survey explains: "The growing brightness of polar mesospheric clouds is attributed to increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane, which in the upper atmosphere makes the Earth a more efficient radiator leading to cooler temperatures. By understanding more about how and where these clouds form scientists can use them as a measurement of long-term global climate change."

Global warming deniers and delayers will often trot out some "study" or other that counters the strong evidence that our climate is changing. This study is an example of one of the hundreds, if not thousands, of small pieces of evidence that when put together make the case for a changing climate undeniable.
=================
This is one in the series of "Climate Decade in Review" posts on this blog that began in January 2010. These posts present climate-change-related events that occurred during the 00's, the warmest decade in recorded history.