Articles | Volume 26, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-10331-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-10331-2026
Research article
 | 
24 Jul 2026
Research article |  | 24 Jul 2026

Contribution of free tropospheric aerosols to Arctic low-level cloud droplets formation and longwave radiative forcing

Roman Pohorsky, Heather Guy, Ian Morley Brooks, Lea Haberstock, Nicolas Fauré, Paul Zieger, Julia Kojoj, Sonja Murto, Radiance Calmer, Benjamin Heutte, Michael Lonardi, Erik Schurch Thomson, Michael Tjernström, Jessie Creamean, Athanasios Nenes, and Julia Schmale

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Cited articles

Achtert, P., Seelig, T., Wallentin, G., Ickes, L., Shupe, M. D., Hoose, C., and Tesche, M.: Occurrence of seeding multi-layer clouds in the Arctic from ground-based observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 3049–3068, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-3049-2026, 2026. 
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Short summary
This study presents tethered-balloon observations above Arctic sea ice showing that enhanced aerosol concentrations above low-level clouds are commonly observed. A closure analysis demonstrates that entrainment of these aerosols is required to reproduce observed cloud droplet numbers. Simulations indicate that neglecting this source can bias longwave radiative forcing, highlighting the need for vertical aerosol observations and improved model representation of aerosol entrainment at cloud top.
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