as of late 1980s, neither theorists nor large-scale computer climate models could accurately predict whether cloud systems would help or hurt a warming globe. some studies suggested that a four percent increase in stratocumulus clouds over the ocean could compensate for a doubling in atmospheric carbon dioxide, preventing a potentially disastrous planetwide temperature increase. on the other hand, an increase in cirrus clouds could increase global warming. that clouds represented the weakest element in climate models was illustrated by a study of fourteen such models. comparing climate forecasts for a world with double the current amount of carbon dioxide, researchers found that the models agreed quite well if clouds were not included. but when clouds were incorporated, a wide range of forecasts was produced. with such discrepancies plaguing the models, scientists could not easily predict how quickly the world`s climate would change, nor could they tell which regions would face dustier droughts or deadlier monsoons. 0
