Editing Cloud feedback (section)

==== Optical Depth ====
The optical depth feedback is determined by the increasing optical depth of the high clouds with rising temperatures.<ref name="Stephens-1978">{{Cite journal |last=Stephens |first=G. L. |date=1978-11-01 |title=Radiation Profiles in Extended Water Clouds. II: Parameterization Schemes |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/atsc/35/11/1520-0469_1978_035_2123_rpiewc_2_0_co_2.xml |journal=Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences |language=EN |volume=35 |issue=11 |pages=2123–2132 |doi=10.1175/1520-0469(1978)035<2123:RPIEWC>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode=1978JAtS...35.2123S |issn=0022-4928|doi-access=free }}</ref> The optical depth increases the LW emission of the cloud, so that the contribution of the optical depth to the LW feedback is positive.<ref name="Stephens-1978" /> At the same time, the shortwave contribution of increasing optical depth is negative and, because it is larger than the LW  component, dominates. The overall optical depth feedback for high clouds is just below zero.<ref name="Ceppi-2017" />