A proposed approach to solar radiation management would thin these clouds by injecting them with bismuth tri·iodide. For 10 points each:
[10e] Name these wispy clouds found at high altitudes which, unlike cumulus clouds, trap more heat than they reflect.
ANSWER: cirrus clouds [accept cirrus cloud thinning]
[10h] Thinning cirrus clouds would widen this interval of infrared radiation wavelength that transmits through the atmosphere. This interval contains wavelengths between eight and 12 micrometers, between the absorption bands of water and C·O2.
ANSWER: infrared window
[10m] Solar geoengineers are investigating ways to “whiten” lower-altitude marine clouds to increase the Earth’s value for this dimensionless measurement of a surface’s reflectance.
ANSWER: surface albedo
<Adam Silverman, Science - Earth> ~20438~ <Editor: David Bass>