More Clouds Mean a Brighter Earth

Thursday, May 27, 2004

(3:22 PM ET) (19:22 GMT)

The Associated Press

"Our method has the advantage of being very precise because the bright lunar crescent serves as a standard against which to monitor earthshine, and light reflected by large portions of Earth can be observed simultaneously." Earthshine brightening the face of the moon was first described by Leonardo DaVinci.

WASHINGTON -- AP
The Earth may be brightening up.

Scientists studying the amount of light reflected by the Earth say the planet appeared to dim from 1984 to 2001 and then reversed its trend and brightened from 2001 to 2003.

The change appears to have resulted from changes in the amount of clouds covering the planet. More clouds reflect more light back into space, potentially cooling the planet, while a dimmer planet with fewer clouds would be warmed by the arriving sunlight.

The researchers, from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the California Institute of Technology, used two sets of records to establish the amount of light reflected from the Earth.

(More: CNN.com / Science & Space)

2004 © The Associated Press.

Dan