Advancements and continued challenges in observations and global modelling of atmospheric ice mass

Eriksson, Patrick; Baró Pérez, Alejandro; Müller, Nils; Hallborn, Hanna; May, Eleanor; Brath, Manfred; Buehler, Stefan A.; Ickes, Luisa

doi:10.5194/acp-26-2741-2026

Articles | Volume 26, issue 4

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2741-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2741-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 26, issue 4

Research article

|

24 Feb 2026

Research article |

| 24 Feb 2026

Advancements and continued challenges in observations and global modelling of atmospheric ice mass

Patrick Eriksson, Alejandro Baró Pérez, Nils Müller, Hanna Hallborn, Eleanor May, Manfred Brath, Stefan A. Buehler, and Luisa Ickes

Data sets

Advancements and continued challenges in observations and global modelling of atmospheric ice mass - Code and data P. Eriksson et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18457489

DARDAR CLOUD - Heymfield's composite mass-size relationship J. Delanoë https://doi.org/10.25326/449

EarthCARE CPR CLD Level 2A, (version BA) ESA https://doi.org/10.57780/eca-e6471c5

Model code and software

Advancements and continued challenges in observations and global modelling of atmospheric ice mass - Code and data P. Eriksson et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18457489

Short summary

Our study shows that accurately representing atmospheric ice mass remains a major challenge. We compared climate models to satellite data, finding that conventional models consistently underestimate the amount of ice. While new, higher-resolution models perform better, both models and observations still have significant discrepancies. These shortcomings limit our confidence in cloud-related climate feedbacks, which are critical for our predictions of the future climate.