PASADENA, CALIFORNIA — If the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continue to rise, according to a new study, stratocumulus clouds may disappear and cause Earth's temperatures to climb sharply.

According to the study, stratocumulus clouds cover 20 percent of tropical oceans and critically affect Earth's energy balance by reflecting 30-60 percent of shortwave radiation back into space.

Researchers from the California Institute of Technology ran detailed simulations of cloud formation and the effects solar radiation had on them. Their results were published in the journal Nature.
Scientists modeled a small patch of sky using a supercomputer to run simulations, and found that if carbon dioxide levels reach about 1,200 parts per million, or ppm, in the atmosphere, stratocumulus clouds break up.

Currently, atmospheric carbon dioxide is around 410 ppm, however if the current trend of releasing more CO2 into the atmosphere continues at this pace, the Earth could reach 1,200 ppm in 100 to 150 years.

The resulting loss of stratocumulus clouds could lead to an increase in temperature of 14 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius).
More research will need to be carried out as the data from the study has not yet been replicated.