Looking for the dark side? How the earth has been “dark” by 0.5% since 2017 when viewed from space
- Researchers have found that the earth is 0.5 percent less “shiny”
- Not a difference that anyone walking on Earth, or even an astronaut can see
- But the reduction in ‘Earthshine’ or albedo is due to the recent cloud loss
When viewed from space, the “pale blue dot” we know as Earth has been darkened since 2017, scientists have found.
Researchers who constantly track our planet say that it has lost the equivalent of half a watt per square meter of brightness since 2017, making it 0.5 percent less “glossy”.
Not a difference that anyone walking on Earth, or even astronauts in space can see, unless they have a special telescope.
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When less sunlight bounces back from the clouds, it also means more sunlight stays on the earth, which can contribute to global warming.
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But the reduction in ‘Earthshine’, also known as albedo, is due to the recent disappearance of clouds, which reflect half of the sun’s rays over the eastern Pacific.
It is believed that this is due to ocean warming.
And when less sunlight bounces back from the clouds, it also means more sunlight stays on the earth, which can contribute to global warming.
Study lead author Professor Philip Goode of the New Jersey Institute of Technology said: “This is not at all what we expected, because Earth’s brightness has changed quite a bit in 17 years.”
Earth’s brightness, or reflectivity, is measured with a telescope slightly larger than an amateur at the Big Bear Solar Observatory in Southern California by looking at the sun’s rays between the sun, moon, and earth.
The study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters looked at the darkening of the Earth between 2017 and last year
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However, scientists predict that the darkness will reverse in the next few years as the oceans become colder over time due to changes in Pacific currents.
The study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters looked at the darkening of the Earth between 2017 and last year.
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