"Ever looked up at the clouds and wondered where they came from?

That's exactly what atmospheric researcher Lubna Dada studies at the Paul Scherrer Institute. She is part of an international project called CLOUD, wherein she and fellow atmospheric scientists study how clouds form and the role they play in the climate.

A recent study from the team published in the journal Science Advances looks at the role of trees and the natural compounds they release into the atmosphere in cloud formation. The goal is to more precisely understand the state of the climate before the Industrial Revolution — and how it's changed since.

Ultimately, Dada says all this data will improve scientists' climate models and help them make more accurate predictions about – and preparations for – the future."

Aaron Scott, Rachel Carlson, and Rebecca Ramirez report for NPR November 8, 2023. [2]