diff --git a/Effects/planet-cloudlayer.eff b/Effects/planet-cloudlayer.eff
index b1d495f22..58ce137c6 100644
--- a/Effects/planet-cloudlayer.eff
+++ b/Effects/planet-cloudlayer.eff
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 		<use-overlay-textures><use>/earthview/overlay-texture-flag</use></use-overlay-textures>
 		<use-cloud-normals><use>/earthview/cloud-normal-flag</use></use-cloud-normals>
 		<shade-effect><use>/earthview/shade-effect</use></shade-effect>
+		<cloudcover-bias><use>/earthview/cloudcover-bias</use></cloudcover-bias>
 		<sun-angle><use>/sim/time/sun-angle-rad</use></sun-angle>
 		<moonlight><use>/environment/moonlight</use></moonlight>
     		<air_pollution><use>/environment/air-pollution-norm</use></air_pollution>
@@ -95,10 +96,10 @@
 				<use>cull-face</use>
 			</cull-face>
 			<rendering-hint>transparent</rendering-hint>
-		<render-bin>
-					<bin-number>111</bin-number>
+			<render-bin>
+					<bin-number>110</bin-number>
 					<bin-name>DepthSortedBin</bin-name>
-				</render-bin>
+			</render-bin>
 			<texture-unit>
 				<!-- The texture unit is always active because the shaders expect
              that. -->
@@ -188,11 +189,16 @@
 					<use>shade-effect</use>
 				</value>
 			</uniform>
-      		<uniform>
-        			 <name>air_pollution</name>
-        			 <type>float</type>
-        			 <value><use>air_pollution</use></value>
-      		</uniform>
+			<uniform>
+				<name>cloudcover_bias</name>
+				<type>float</type>
+				<value><use>cloudcover-bias</use></value>
+			</uniform>
+	      		<uniform>
+				<name>air_pollution</name>
+				<type>float</type>
+				<value><use>air_pollution</use></value>
+	      		</uniform>
 			<uniform>
 				<name>sun_angle</name>
 				<type>float</type>
diff --git a/Shaders/planet-cloudlayer.frag b/Shaders/planet-cloudlayer.frag
index fc702e69e..a50a73919 100644
--- a/Shaders/planet-cloudlayer.frag
+++ b/Shaders/planet-cloudlayer.frag
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ uniform float moonlight;
 uniform float roi_x1;
 uniform float roi_y1;
 uniform float lightning;
+uniform float cloudcover_bias;
 
 uniform bool use_overlay;
 uniform bool use_cloud_normals;
@@ -27,7 +28,6 @@ float Noise2D(in vec2 coord, in float wavelength);
 vec3 filter_combined (in vec3 color) ;
 vec3 moonlight_perception (in vec3 light);
 
-
 float add_cosines (in float cos1, in float cos2, in float sign)
 {
 
@@ -86,11 +86,15 @@ void main()
 
     vec3 tangent = normalize(VTangent);
     vec3 binormal = cross(n, tangent);
-    float NdotL2 = 0.0;
+    float NdotL2 = 1.0;
 
 	texel = texture2D(texture, gl_TexCoord[0].st);
     ref_texel = texel;
 	
+	float sign = -1.0;
+	float ml_fact = 1.0;
+
+	
    if (use_cloud_normals)
 	{
 		vec2 sun2d = vec2 (0.0, 1.0);
@@ -114,7 +118,6 @@ void main()
 		// relief shading based on gradient and parallax lookup
 		
 		float slope = shade_effect * (comp_texel.a - ref_texel.a) * texel.a;
-		float sign = -1.0;
 		if (slope < 0.0) {sign = 1.0;}
 		
 		vec2 snormal = normalize(vec2 (slope, 1.0));
@@ -122,10 +125,14 @@ void main()
 		NdotL2 = dot (snormal, sun2d);
 		NdotL = add_cosines(NdotL, NdotL2, sign );
 		
-	
+		ml_fact = 0.5 + 1.0 * add_cosines(0.0, NdotL2, sign); 
 
 			
 	}
+	
+	ref_texel = texel;
+	texel.a = pow(texel.a,1.0/cloudcover_bias);
+	texel.a = clamp(texel.a, 0.0, 1.0);
 
 	
         color += diff_term * max(NdotL, 0.15) ;
@@ -141,9 +148,8 @@ void main()
 	color.rgb += lightning_color(gl_TexCoord[0].st) * (1.0 - texel.a) * lightning * darkness_fact;
 	
 	vec3 moonLightColor = vec3 (0.095, 0.095, 0.15) * moonlight;
-  	moonLightColor = moonlight_perception (moonLightColor);
-	
-	color.rgb += moonLightColor;
+	moonLightColor = moonlight_perception (moonLightColor);  
+	color.rgb += moonLightColor * ml_fact;
     
     color.a = 1.0;//diffuse_term.a;
     color = clamp(color, 0.0, 1.0);
@@ -158,15 +164,16 @@ void main()
     vec4 noiseTexel = vec4 (1.0,1.0,1.0, 0.5* noise * texel.a);
     structureTexel = mix(structureTexel, noiseTexel,noiseTexel.a);
 
-
+	structureTexel = mix(structureTexel, texel, clamp(1.5 * ref_texel.a * (cloudcover_bias - 1.0), 0.0, 1.0));
 
 
     if (use_overlay) 
 	{
 	texel = vec4(structureTexel.rgb, smoothstep(0.0, 0.5,texel.a) * structureTexel.a);
+	//texel.a = pow(texel.a,1.0/cloudcover_bias);
+
 	}
 	
-	
 	texel.a = clamp((1.0 + darkness_fact) * texel.a, 0.0, 1.0);
 
 
diff --git a/Shaders/planet-high.frag b/Shaders/planet-high.frag
index afd99a241..9852493d9 100644
--- a/Shaders/planet-high.frag
+++ b/Shaders/planet-high.frag
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ float Noise2D(in vec2 coord, in float wavelength);
 vec3 filter_combined (in vec3 color) ;
 vec3 moonlight_perception (in vec3 light);
 
-
 void main()
 {
     vec3 n;
@@ -136,9 +135,9 @@ void main()
                             * pow(NdotHV, gl_FrontMaterial.shininess));
     }
 	
-    vec3 moonLightColor = vec3 (0.095, 0.095, 0.15) * moonlight;
-    moonLightColor = moonlight_perception (moonLightColor);	
-    color.rgb += moonLightColor;
+	vec3 moonLightColor = vec3 (0.095, 0.095, 0.15) * moonlight;
+	moonLightColor = moonlight_perception (moonLightColor); 
+	color.rgb += moonLightColor;
 	
     color.a = diffuse_term.a;
 
diff --git a/defaults.xml b/defaults.xml
index f0848619f..680541d67 100644
--- a/defaults.xml
+++ b/defaults.xml
@@ -1349,6 +1349,7 @@ Started September 2000 by David Megginson, david@megginson.com
   <earthview>
     <cloudsphere-flag type="bool" userarchive="y">true</cloudsphere-flag>
     <cloud-shadow-flag type="bool" userarchive="y">true</cloud-shadow-flag>
+    <cloudcover-bias type="double" userarchive="y">1.0</cloudcover-bias>
     <overlay-texture-flag type="bool" userarchive="y">true</overlay-texture-flag>
     <mrd-flag type="bool" userarchive="y">true</mrd-flag>
     <cloudsphere-angle type="double" userarchive="n">0.0</cloudsphere-angle>
diff --git a/gui/dialogs/earthview.xml b/gui/dialogs/earthview.xml
index 63ee65042..c44f4d329 100644
--- a/gui/dialogs/earthview.xml
+++ b/gui/dialogs/earthview.xml
@@ -432,6 +432,43 @@
 			<property>/environment/air-pollution-norm</property>
 		</text>
 
+    <!-- gap -->
+    <text>
+      <label>  </label>
+    </text>
+
+	</group>
+
+	<group>
+		<layout>hbox</layout>
+		<halign>right</halign>
+		
+    <!-- gap -->
+    <text>
+      <label>  </label>
+    </text>
+
+		<text>
+			<label>Cloudcover</label>
+		</text>
+		<slider>
+			<name>cloudcover</name>
+			<min>0.5</min>
+			<max>2.0</max>
+			<property>/earthview/cloudcover-bias</property>
+			<binding>
+				<command>dialog-apply</command>
+				<object-name>cloudcover</object-name>
+			</binding>
+			<live>true</live>
+		</slider>
+		<text>
+			<label>12345678</label>
+			<format>%.1f</format>
+			<live>true</live>
+			<property>/earthview/cloudcover-bias</property>
+		</text>
+
     <!-- gap -->
     <text>
       <label>  </label>