MadSci Network: Earth Sciences |
Basically, it would be warmer during the day, and colder at night. Clouds are made of water: liquid water, water ice, and water vapor. Clouds change how the Earth system behaves because water is very different from dry air. During the day, clouds keep us cool, because some light from the sun reflects off the cloud tops and never reaches the surface. At night, clouds keep us warm because the cloud absorbs heat given off by the Earth's surface and sends some of it back downward. We will always have clouds, as long as we have the sun shining down on lakes and rivers and the oceans. But the frequency of clouds can change enough to make a big difference, over time.
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Earth Sciences.