Spectral measurements of the solar flux in the near-infrared region using an FTIR spectrometer have yielded important information concerning the absorption of solar radiation by clouds. A comparison of the spectra of solar fluxes for clear and overcast sky conditions measured from the ground for a northern mid-latitude location demonstrates that about 118 W/m2 of the solar radiation is absorbed preferentially by clouds in the 3,000--10,000 cm-1 region. The cloud radiative forcing ratio was estimated to be 1.24. Climate model calculations generally predict that clouds mainly scatter solar radiation while absorbing on average about 4% of the extraterrestrial insolation. The interaction of solar radiation with clouds may be dominated by the absorption of liquid water rather than by scattering, particularly if a sufficient number of liquid water droplets reside in the upper reaches of a cloud. This may contribute, in part, to the anomalous cloud absorption effect. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1996