The clouds are vehicles for energy. Solar hot lead from the tropics to other parts of the world through weather systems. But also as guardians of the Earth and space, help regulate the temperature global capturing and releasing energy in the atmosphere. In this connection , the clouds are like greenhouse gases. If the clouds would change because of global warming, the change could result in additional heating.
This picture, acquired by GOES the 30 May 2010, shows the thermal energy in the Western Hemisphere. The areas which are warmer are more white and light gray. The desert along the Pacific coast of South America is a white stripe down the center of the globe. The coldest regions that emit lower amounts of thermal energy are dark gray and black. These dark spots on the globe are high clouds.
The clouds emit energy in proportion to their temperature. This image shows that the low cloud emit approximately the same amount of thermal energy of the earth's surface. This is most clearly visible above the Pacific Ocean. The water is almost white, while the low marine clouds are gray. This means that a world without low clouds lose about the same amount of energy in a world with low clouds.