Significant changes are happening in the sky and on Earth: soon, it will be unrecognizable.

A new study based on NASA satellite data has revealed that the cloud cover on Earth is gradually decreasing, exacerbating global warming, reports IFLScience.

Currently, the Earth is receiving more solar energy than it is losing. Humanity's reliance on fossil fuels does not account for the extent of these changes. Additionally, the albedo effect – the phenomenon where melting ice reduces the amount of sunlight reflected back into space – cannot explain this either.

Climatologist George Celiudis from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and his team analyzed satellite data to understand what is happening.

It turns out that a significant change has occurred in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) – a low-pressure area near the equator. This is where the northeast and southeast trade winds converge.

In this part of the world, dense clouds form when warm air rises and mixes with cooler air. The study's results indicated that this zone has narrowed, leading to a reduction in cloud cover.

At the same time, the subtropical dry zone has expanded. Such changes have resulted in a decline in global cloud cover. The degree of this decline varies from period to period, but on average, the Earth is losing its clouds at a rate of 0.72% to 0.17% per decade.

"I am confident that we have found the missing link connecting global warming and the decrease in cloudiness," says Celiudis.

The data studied by scientists from NASA's Terra satellite confirms the findings of previous research, which indicated that cloud cover on Earth is decreasing by approximately 1.5% every decade, contributing to higher warming levels on the planet.

At first glance, such figures may seem insignificant, but they highlight the "important role of clouds, which may be lost," emphasized climatologist Bjorn Stevens from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology.

Recall that scientists explained why clouds "float in the sky". Researchers shed light on why clouds appear to be simply suspended in the air or drifting across the sky.