Articles | Volume 25, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8255-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8255-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
31 Jul 2025
Research article |
| 31 Jul 2025
| 31 Jul 2025
Shortwave radiative impacts of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL) using balloon-borne in situ measurements at three distinct locations in India
Vadassery Neelamana Santhosh
National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), Gadanki 517 112, India
Bomidi Lakshmi Madhavan
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), Gadanki 517 112, India
Sivan Thankamani Akhil Raj
India Meteorological Department (IMD), New Delhi 110 003, India
Madineni Venkat Ratnam
National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), Gadanki 517 112, India
Jean-Paul Vernier
National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, VA, USA
NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
Frank Gunther Wienhold
Institute of Atmospheric and Climate Science (IAC), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Simone Brunamonti, Yann Poltera, Gonzague Romanens, Alex Weitnauer, Philipp Scheidegger, Adrianos Filinis, Alistair Bell, Giovanni Martucci, Frank Gunther Wienhold, Thomas Peter, Peter Oelsner, Ruud Dirksen, Alexander Haefele, Lukas Emmenegger, Gunter Stober, and Béla Tuzson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4762, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4762, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
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Accurate measurements of the concentration of water vapor in the upper atmosphere are essential for reliable climate predictions. We investigated the performance of a new lightweight (less than 4 kg) hygrometer, based on laser absorption spectroscopy, in a series of atmospheric test flights using weather balloons, reaching up to 35 km altitude. The results demonstrate the high accuracy and suitability of this technique for applications in long-term climate monitoring and atmospheric research.
Arlett Díaz-Zurita, Simone Brunamonti, Alexander Haefele, Martine Collaud Coen, Giovanni Martucci, Benjamin Tobias Brem, Martin Gysel-Beer, Hassan Lyamani, Gloria Titos, Daniel Pérez-Ramírez, Christoph Hüglin, Lucas Alados-Arboledas, Alejandro Keller, Frank Gunther Wienhold, Maxime Hervo, and Francisco Navas-Guzmán
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4361, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4361, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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This study provides a unique framework for assessing aerosol hygroscopicity by combining Raman lidar observations with vertically resolved in situ measurements from the balloon-borne Compact Backscatter Aerosol Detector coupled with Vaisala RS41 radiosondes and ground-based tandem nephelometers. The three approaches showed good agreement. Raman lidar identified more than 200 hygroscopic aerosol layers, constituting one of the largest datasets available for statistical investigations.
Yann Poltera, Beiping Luo, Frank G. Wienhold, and Thomas Peter
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 5091–5134, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-5091-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-5091-2026, 2026
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Chilled mirror hygrometers are the most accurate instruments for measuring water vapor in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The “Golden Points” and nonequilibrium correction are a new post-processing technique for these instruments, which can correct frost point data using mirror reflectance information to achieve unprecedented accuracy of better than 4 % in the H2O mixing ratio, even under rapidly changing humidity conditions, from the ground to the middle stratosphere.
Rubel Chandra Das, Jean-Paul Vernier, Amit Kumar Pandit, David A. Peterson, Michael D. Fromm, George Kablick, Nicolas Dumelie, Lilian Joly, and James Flaten
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3536, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3536, 2026
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Fire-driven storm clouds can lift wildfire smoke high into the atmosphere, where it can travel far from the fire. We studied North American events from 2013 to 2023 using transport calculations and satellite observations. Smoke pathways depend on fire location, season, and injection height: Canadian events often travel toward the Atlantic and Europe, while United States events more often affect lower-latitude regions. These results can aid air quality, climate, aviation, and field planning.
Harshbardhan Kumar, V. Ravi Kiran, M. Venkat Ratnam, Herman Russchenberg, and Arnoud Apituley
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3317, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3317, 2026
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Ceilometers are widely used in the measurement of Cloud Base Height (CBH) primarily relying on the manufacturer’s algorithm. However, the present study highlights the drawbacks associated with their algorithm and introduces a new threshold-based method (TBD). Further, the method has been implemented on the long-term Ceilometer observations over Kolkata, India. The results demonstrate the need for an independent method for CBH, cloud vertical structure and their implications on climate forcing.
Corinna Kloss, Gwenaël Berthet, Pasquale Sellitto, Irene Bartolome Garcia, Emmanuel Briaud, Rubel Chandra Das, Stéphane Chevrier, Nicolas Dumelié, Lilian Joly, Thomas Lecas, Pauline Marbach, Felix Ploeger, Jean-Baptiste Renard, Jean-Paul Vernier, Frank G. Wienhold, and Michaela I. Hegglin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 8981–8997, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8981-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8981-2026, 2026
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In October 2022, we detected volcanic particles in the stratosphere over France, linked to the January 2022 Hunga eruption in the South Pacific. Found between 17 and 23 km altitude, they were traced back to the tropics using trajectory simulations and satellite data. Their optical properties matched those in the Southern Hemisphere. The particles spread across the Northern Hemisphere, reflecting sunlight and slightly cooling the surface – a small but non-negligible effect.
Jean-Paul Vernier, Nicolas Dumelie, Amit Kumar Pandit, Gwenael Berthet, Lilian Joly, Giovanni de Souza, Eduardo Landulfo, Demilson Quintao, Bruno Biazon, Ravi Kiran, Vankat Ratnam, James Flaten, Rubel Das, David Paraiseau, Frank Wienhold, and Yaowei Li
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3280, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3280, 2026
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Stratospheric aerosols, from volcanoes, wildfires, pollution, and space debris, impact climate and atmospheric chemistry. A new lightweight, 500g particle counter – measures aerosol sizes (0.3–10 µm) with high accuracy. Validated against leading instruments, it has tracked volcanic plumes and smoke globally since 2018. Now used in the BalNeO network, its data is publicly available for research.
Zhen Yang, Bärbel Vogel, Felix Plöger, Zhixuan Bai, Dan Li, Sabine Griessbach, Lars Hoffmann, Frank G. Wienhold, Elizabeth Asher, Alexandre A. Baron, Katie R. Smith, Troy Thornberry, Jianchun Bian, and Michaela I. Hegglin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 4749–4769, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-4749-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-4749-2026, 2026
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Balloon measurements over Lhasa, China, combined with satellite guided modelling, tracked aerosol from the 2019 Raikoke eruption through the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone. We find two altitude dependent routes into the anticyclone. It partly blocks transport but also allows entry and mixing, explaining the gradual weakening of the layers. Balloon measurements over Boulder, United States, outside the anticyclone, provide an independent check outside the region.
Hazel Vernier, Demilson Quintao, Bruno Biazon, Eduardo Landulfo, Giovanni Souza, Amanda Santos, Fabio Lopes, Alex Mendes, José da Matta, Pinheiro Damaris, Benoit Grosslin, Maria Paulete, Maria de Fátima Andrade, Neeraj Rastogi, Akhil Raj, Hongyu Liu, Mahesh Kovilakam, Suvarna Fadnavis, Frank Wienhold, Mathieu Colombier, Chris Boone, Gwenael Berthet, Nicolas Dumelie, Lilian Joly, and Jean-Paul Vernier
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6226, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6226, 2026
Preprint archived
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This paper shows unique balloon measurements from Brazil within the Hunga volcanic plume eight months after the eruption. The chemical analysis of samples collected reveal new insights on volcanic aerosol composition and suggest the presence of marine aerosols.
Sougat Kumar Sarangi, Chandan Sarangi, Niravkumar Patel, Bomidi Lakshmi Madhavan, Shantikumar Singh Ningombam, Belur Ravindra, and Madineni Venkat Ratnam
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 5637–5648, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5637-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5637-2025, 2025
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This study introduces a new approach to measure cloud cover from image data taken by ground-based sky observations. Our method used diverse sky images taken from various locations across the globe to train our machine learning model. We achieved a very high accuracy in detecting cloud cover, even in polluted areas. Our model surpasses traditional methods by running efficiently with minimal computational needs.
Hazel Vernier, Demilson Quintão, Bruno Biazon, Eduardo Landulfo, Giovanni Souza, V. Amanda Santos, J. S. Fabio Lopes, C. P. Alex Mendes, A. S. José da Matta, K. Pinheiro Damaris, Benoit Grosslin, P. M. P. Maria Jorge, Maria de Fátima Andrade, Neeraj Rastogi, Akhil Raj, Hongyu Liu, Mahesh Kovilakam, Suvarna Fadnavis, Frank G. Wienhold, Mathieu Colombier, D. Chris Boone, Gwenael Berthet, Nicolas Dumelie, Lilian Joly, and Jean-Paul Vernier
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-924, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-924, 2025
Preprint withdrawn
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The eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai injected large amounts of water vapor and sea salt into the stratosphere, altering traditional views of volcanic aerosols. Using balloon-borne samplers, we collected aerosol samples and found high levels of sea salt and calcium, suggesting sulfate depletion due to gypsum formation. These findings highlight the need to consider sea salt in climate models to better predict volcanic impacts on the atmosphere and climate.
Prashant Chavan, Suvarna Fadnavis, Anton Laakso, Jean-Paul Vernier, Simone Tilmes, and Rolf Müller
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3825, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3825, 2025
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Our simulations with volcanoes, when compared without volcanoes, show that volcanic aerosol precursors enter the tropical stratosphere, propagating upward and enhancing sulphate aerosol and heating. This stratospheric heating caused by the volcanoes reduces the amplitude of the QBO and disrupts its phases. Since QBO also modulates tropical convection and weather, we suggest including volcanic emissions and the QBO in the weather prediction model for a better forecast.
Amit Kumar Pandit, Jean-Paul Vernier, Thomas Duncan Fairlie, Kristopher M. Bedka, Melody A. Avery, Harish Gadhavi, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Sanjeev Dwivedi, Kasimahanthi Amar Jyothi, Frank G. Wienhold, Holger Vömel, Hongyu Liu, Bo Zhang, Buduru Suneel Kumar, Tra Dinh, and Achuthan Jayaraman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 14209–14238, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14209-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14209-2024, 2024
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This study investigates the formation mechanism of a tropopause cirrus cloud layer observed at extremely cold temperatures over Hyderabad in India during the 2017 Asian summer monsoon using balloon-borne sensors. Ice crystals smaller than 50 µm were found in this optically thin cirrus cloud layer. Combined analysis of back trajectories, satellite, and model data revealed that the formation of this layer was influenced by waves and stratospheric hydration induced by typhoon Hato.
Hengheng Zhang, Christian Rolf, Ralf Tillmann, Christian Wesolek, Frank Gunther Wienhold, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Aerosol Research, 2, 135–151, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-135-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-135-2024, 2024
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Our study employs advanced tools, including scanning lidar, balloons, and UAVs, to explore aerosol particles in the atmosphere. The scanning lidar offers distinctive near-ground-level insights, enriching our comprehension of aerosol distribution from ground level to the free troposphere. This research provides valuable data for comparing remote sensing and in situ aerosol measurements, advancing our understanding of aerosol impacts on radiative transfer, clouds, and air quality.
Jean-Paul Vernier, Thomas J. Aubry, Claudia Timmreck, Anja Schmidt, Lieven Clarisse, Fred Prata, Nicolas Theys, Andrew T. Prata, Graham Mann, Hyundeok Choi, Simon Carn, Richard Rigby, Susan C. Loughlin, and John A. Stevenson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5765–5782, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5765-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5765-2024, 2024
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The 2019 Raikoke eruption (Kamchatka, Russia) generated one of the largest emissions of particles and gases into the stratosphere since the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption. The Volcano Response (VolRes) initiative, an international effort, provided a platform for the community to share information about this eruption and assess its climate impact. The eruption led to a minor global surface cooling of 0.02 °C in 2020 which is negligible relative to warming induced by human greenhouse gas emissions.
Yaowei Li, Corey Pedersen, John Dykema, Jean-Paul Vernier, Sandro Vattioni, Amit Kumar Pandit, Andrea Stenke, Elizabeth Asher, Troy Thornberry, Michael A. Todt, Thao Paul Bui, Jonathan Dean-Day, and Frank N. Keutsch
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15351–15364, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15351-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15351-2023, 2023
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In 2021, the eruption of La Soufrière released sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, resulting in a spread of volcanic aerosol over the Northern Hemisphere. We conducted extensive aircraft and balloon-borne measurements after that, revealing enhanced particle concentration and altered size distribution due to the eruption. The eruption's impact on ozone depletion was minimal, contributing ~0.6 %, and its global radiative forcing effect was modest, mainly affecting tropical and midlatitude areas.
Jason L. Tackett, Jayanta Kar, Mark A. Vaughan, Brian J. Getzewich, Man-Hae Kim, Jean-Paul Vernier, Ali H. Omar, Brian E. Magill, Michael C. Pitts, and David M. Winker
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 745–768, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-745-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-745-2023, 2023
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The accurate identification of aerosol types in the stratosphere is important to characterize their impacts on the Earth climate system. The space-borne lidar on board CALIPSO is well-posed to identify aerosols in the stratosphere from volcanic eruptions and major wildfire events. This paper describes improvements implemented in the version 4.5 CALIPSO data release to more accurately discriminate between volcanic ash, sulfate, and smoke within the stratosphere.
Hazel Vernier, Neeraj Rastogi, Hongyu Liu, Amit Kumar Pandit, Kris Bedka, Anil Patel, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Buduru Suneel Kumar, Bo Zhang, Harish Gadhavi, Frank Wienhold, Gwenael Berthet, and Jean-Paul Vernier
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12675–12694, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12675-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12675-2022, 2022
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The chemical composition of the stratospheric aerosols collected aboard high-altitude balloons above the summer Asian monsoon reveals the presence of nitrate/nitrite. Using numerical simulations and satellite observations, we found that pollution as well as lightning could explain some of our observations.
Varaha Ravi Kiran, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Masatomo Fujiwara, Herman Russchenberg, Frank G. Wienhold, Bomidi Lakshmi Madhavan, Mekalathur Roja Raman, Renju Nandan, Sivan Thankamani Akhil Raj, Alladi Hemanth Kumar, and Saginela Ravindra Babu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4709–4734, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4709-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4709-2022, 2022
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We proposed and conducted the multi-instrumental BACIS (Balloon-borne Aerosol–Cloud Interaction Studies) field campaigns using balloon-borne in situ measurements and ground-based and space-borne remote sensing instruments. Aerosol-cloud interaction is quantified for liquid clouds by segregating aerosol and cloud information in a balloon profile. Overall, the observational approach proposed here demonstrated its capability for understanding the aerosol–cloud interaction process.
Christoph Mahnke, Ralf Weigel, Francesco Cairo, Jean-Paul Vernier, Armin Afchine, Martina Krämer, Valentin Mitev, Renaud Matthey, Silvia Viciani, Francesco D'Amato, Felix Ploeger, Terry Deshler, and Stephan Borrmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15259–15282, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15259-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15259-2021, 2021
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In 2017, in situ aerosol measurements were conducted aboard the M55 Geophysica in the Asian monsoon region. The vertical particle mixing ratio profiles show a distinct layer (15–18.5 km), the Asian tropopause aerosol layer (ATAL). The backscatter ratio (BR) was calculated based on the aerosol size distributions and compared with the BRs detected by a backscatter probe and a lidar aboard M55, and by the CALIOP lidar. All four methods show enhanced BRs in the ATAL altitude range (max. at 17.5 km).
Luca Palchetti, Marco Barucci, Claudio Belotti, Giovanni Bianchini, Bertrand Cluzet, Francesco D'Amato, Samuele Del Bianco, Gianluca Di Natale, Marco Gai, Dina Khordakova, Alessio Montori, Hilke Oetjen, Markus Rettinger, Christian Rolf, Dirk Schuettemeyer, Ralf Sussmann, Silvia Viciani, Hannes Vogelmann, and Frank Gunther Wienhold
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 4303–4312, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4303-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4303-2021, 2021
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The FIRMOS far-infrared (IR) prototype, developed for the preparation of the ESA FORUM mission, was deployed for the first time at Mt. Zugspitze at 3000 m altitude to measure the far-IR spectrum of atmospheric emissions. The measurements, including co-located radiometers, lidars, radio soundings, weather, and surface properties, provide a unique dataset to study radiative properties of water vapour, cirrus clouds, and snow emissivity over the IR emissions, including the under-explored far-IR.
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Short summary
Our study examines a lesser-known atmospheric feature, the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer, located high above the Earth. We investigated how different aerosols, such as sulfates, nitrates, and pollutants, influence the exchange of heat between the atmosphere and its surroundings. The results show that these particles can alter temperature patterns, especially during the Asian summer monsoon. This research improves our understanding of how human activities may affect regional climate.
Our study examines a lesser-known atmospheric feature, the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer,...
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