A fundamental test of the representation of clouds in models is evaluating the simulation of present-day climate against available observations. Satellite retrievals of cloud properties provide an attractive baseline for this evaluation because they can provide near global coverage and long records. However, comparisons of ...

Examination of cloud fraction and top of atmosphere radiation data from NASA’s MISR, MODIS, and CERES instruments reveals a pervasive temporal decline in optically thick cloud over the extratropical ocean basins during the period 2000 to 2015, which is compensated by a corresponding increase in cloud of moderate optical depth. ...