Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
ACP
Articles | Volume 25, issue 18
Articles | Volume 25, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10869-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10869-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 25, issue 18
Opinion
 | 
22 Sep 2025
Opinion |  | 22 Sep 2025

Opinion: Inferring process from snapshots of cloud systems

Graham Feingold, Franziska Glassmeier, Jianhao Zhang, and Fabian Hoffmann

Viewed

Total article views: 4,498 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total BibTeX EndNote
4,306 167 25 4,498 37 48
  • HTML: 4,306
  • PDF: 167
  • XML: 25
  • Total: 4,498
  • BibTeX: 37
  • EndNote: 48
Views and downloads (calculated since 13 May 2025)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 13 May 2025)

Viewed (geographical distribution)

Total article views: 4,498 (including HTML, PDF, and XML) Thereof 4,498 with geography defined and 0 with unknown origin.
Country # Views %
  • 1
1
 
 
 
 
Latest update: 03 Nov 2025
Download
Executive editor
The manuscript provides an opinion and perspectives on the extent to which we can use snapshots of aerosol and cloud data (e.g. from satellite measurements) to infer understanding about the processes in the system. It draws on existing work and adds some new work to demonstrate the applicability of ergodicity, space-time exchange, and the Deborah number to the problem. The manuscript is conceptual and original. It is our hope that this work will encourage the atmospheric sciences community to explore the value of these concepts more deeply.
Read more
Short summary
Scientists usually use snapshots of atmospheric data to glean understanding of time-evolving atmospheric processes. We examine how much can be learned about processes from snapshots using examples from cloud and atmospheric physics. We couch the analysis in terms of the theory of ergodic systems, space-time-exchange, and the Deborah number – concepts that are commonly applied in other branches of physics. We discuss the reasons for the varying degrees of success.
Read more
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint