Articles | Volume 26, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-3299-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-3299-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 Mar 2026
Research article |
| 04 Mar 2026
| 04 Mar 2026
Aerosol-driven precipitation modification: spatiotemporal heterogeneity in precipitation microphysics and vertical profiles over China's megacity clusters
Heyuan Peng
College of Meteorology and Oceanography, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China
College of Basic Education, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China
College of Meteorology and Oceanography, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China
Zhen Li
College of Meteorology and Oceanography, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China
Shensen Hu
College of Meteorology and Oceanography, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China
Junqi Qiao
College of Meteorology and Oceanography, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China
Xianbin Zhao
College of Meteorology and Oceanography, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China
Cited articles
Ackerman, A. S., Toon, O. B., Stevens, D. E., Heymsfield, A. J., Ramanathan, V., and Welton, E. J.: Reduction of Tropical Cloudiness by Soot, Science, 288, 1042–1047, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.288.5468.1042, 2000.
Albrecht, B. A.: Aerosols, Cloud Microphysics, and Fractional Cloudiness, Science, 245, 1227–1230, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.245.4923.1227, 1989.
Buchard, V., Randles, C. A., Da Silva, A. M., Darmenov, A., Colarco, P. R., Govindaraju, R., Ferrare, R., Hair, J., Beyersdorf, A. J., Ziemba, L. D., and Yu, H.: The MERRA-2 aerosol reanalysis, 1980 onward. Part II: Evaluation and case studies, J. Climate [data set], 30, 6851–6872, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0613.1, 2017.
Chandrasekar, V. and Le, M.: Evaluation of profile classification module of GPM-DPR algorithm after launch, in: IGARSS 2015 – 2015 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Milan, Italy, 5174–5177, https://doi.org/10.1109/igarss.2015.7326999, 2015.
Chang, D., Cheng, Y., Reutter, P., Trentmann, J., Burrows, S. M., Spichtinger, P., Nordmann, S., Andreae, M. O., Pöschl, U., and Su, H.: Comprehensive mapping and characteristic regimes of aerosol effects on the formation and evolution of pyro-convective clouds, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 10325–10348, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-10325-2015, 2015.
Chen, F., Yang, Y., Yu, L., Li, Y., Liu, W., Liu, Y., and Lolli, S.: Distinct effects of fine and coarse aerosols on microphysical processes of shallow-precipitation systems in summer over southern China, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1587–1601, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1587-2025, 2025.
Chen, Y. and Luo, Y.: Analysis of Paths and Sources of Moisture for the South China Rainfall during the Presummer Rainy Season of 1979–2014, J. Meteorol. Res., 32, 744–757, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13351-018-8069-7, 2018.
Day, J. A., Fung, I., and Liu, W.: Changing character of rainfall in eastern China, 1951–2007, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115, 2016–2021, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1715386115, 2018.
Dong, X., Li, R., Wang, Y., Fu, Y., and Zhao, C.: Potential impacts of sahara dust aerosol on rainfall vertical structure over the atlantic ocean as identified from EOF analysis, JGR Atmospheres, 123, 8850–8868, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD028500, 2018.
Fajardo-Zambrano, C. M., Bravo-Aranda, J. A., Granados-Muñoz, M. J., Montilla-Rosero, E., Casquero-Vera, J. A., Rejano, F., Castillo, S., and Alados-Arboledas, L.: Lidar and Radar Signal Simulation: Stability Assessment of the Aerosol–Cloud Interaction Index, Remote Sensing, 14, 1333, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14061333, 2022.
Fan, J., Zhang, R., Li, G., and Tao, W.: Effects of aerosols and relative humidity on cumulus clouds, J. Geophys. Res., 112, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006jd008136, 2007.
Garrett, T. J. and Zhao, C.: Increased Arctic cloud longwave emissivity associated with pollution from mid-latitudes, Nature, 440, 787–789, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04636, 2006.
Gettelman, A.: Putting the clouds back in aerosol–cloud interactions, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 12397–12411, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-12397-2015, 2015.
Guo, J., Su, T., Li, Z., Miao, Y., Li, J., Liu, H., Xu, H., Cribb, M., and Zhai, P.: Declining frequency of summertime local-scale precipitation over eastern China from 1970 to 2010 and its potential link to aerosols, Geophysical Research Letters, 44, 5700–5708, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL073533, 2017.
Guo, J., Liu, H., Li, Z., Rosenfeld, D., Jiang, M., Xu, W., Jiang, J. H., He, J., Chen, D., Min, M., and Zhai, P.: Aerosol-induced changes in the vertical structure of precipitation: a perspective of TRMM precipitation radar, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 13329–13343, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-13329-2018, 2018.
Guo, J., Su, T., Chen, D., Wang, J., Li, Z., Lv, Y., Guo, X., Liu, H., Cribb, M., and Zhai, P.: Declining Summertime Local-Scale Precipitation Frequency Over China and the United States, 1981–2012: The Disparate Roles of Aerosols, Geophysical Research Letters, 46, 13281–13289, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085442, 2019.
Guo, J., Luo, Y., Yang, J., Furtado, K., and Lei, H.: Effects of anthropogenic and sea salt aerosols on a heavy rainfall event during the early-summer rainy season over coastal Southern China, Atmospheric Research, 265, 105923, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105923, 2022.
Hersbach, H., Bell, B., Berrisford, P., Hirahara, S., Horányi, A., Muñoz-Sabater, J., Nicolas, J., Peubey, C., Radu, R., Schepers, D., Simmons, A., Soci, C., Abdalla, S., Abellan, X., Balsamo, G., Bechtold, P., Biavati, G., Bidlot, J., Bonavita, M., De Chiara, G., Dahlgren, P., Dee, D., Diamantakis, M., Dragani, R., Flemming, J., Forbes, R., Fuentes, M., Geer, A., Haimberger, L., Healy, S., Hogan, R. J., Hólm, E., Janisková, M., Keeley, S., Laloyaux, P., Lopez, P., Lupu, C., Radnoti, G., De Rosnay, P., Rozum, I., Vamborg, F., Villaume, S., and Thépaut, J.: The ERA5 global reanalysis, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc. [data set], 146, 1999–2049, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3803, 2020.
Hou, A. Y., Kakar, R. K., Neeck, S., Azarbarzin, A. A., Kummerow, C. D., Kojima, M., Oki, R., Nakamura, K., and Iguchi, T.: The Global Precipitation Measurement Mission, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc. [data set], 95, 701–722, https://doi.org/10.1175/bams-d-13-00164.1, 2014.
Hu, X., Ai, W., Qiao, J., Hu, S., Han, D., and Yan, W.: Microphysics of Summer Precipitation Over Yangtze-Huai River Valley Region in China Revealed by GPM DPR Observation, Earth and Space Science, 9, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021ea002021, 2022.
Hu, X., Ai, W., Qiao, J., and Yan, W.: Insight into global climatology of melting layer: Latitudinal dependence and orographic relief, Theor. Appl. Climatol., 155, 4863–4873, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-024-04926-6, 2024.
Huang, J., Wang, T., Wang, W., Li, Z., and Yan, H.: Climate effects of dust aerosols over East Asian arid and semiarid regions, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 119, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014jd021796, 2014.
IPCC: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, edited by: Stocker, T. F., Qin, D., Plattner, G.-K., Tignor, M., Allen, S. K., Boschung, J., Nauels, A., Xia, Y., Bex, V., and Midgley, P. M., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 1535 pp., https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324, 2013.
IPCC: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to theSixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, edited by: Masson-Delmotte, V., Zhai, P., Pirani, A., Connors, S. L., Péan, C., Berger, S., Caud, N., Chen, Y., Goldfarb, L., Gomis, M. I., Huang, M., Leitzell, K., Lonnoy, E., Matthews, J. B. R., Maycock, T. K., Waterfield, T., Yelekçi, O., Yu, R., and Zhou, B., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 2338 pp., https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157896, 2021.
Irbah, A., Delanoë, J., van Zadelhoff, G.-J., Donovan, D. P., Kollias, P., Puigdomènech Treserras, B., Mason, S., Hogan, R. J., and Tatarevic, A.: The classification of atmospheric hydrometeors and aerosols from the EarthCARE radar and lidar: the A-TC, C-TC and AC-TC products, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2795–2820, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2795-2023, 2023.
Ji, Z. and Tian, S.: A novel potential cause of extreme precipitation in the northwest China, Heliyon, 10, e30826, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30826, 2024.
Jiang, M., Li, Y., Hu, W., Yang, Y., Brasseur, G., and Zhao, X.: Model-based insights into aerosol perturbation on pristine continental convective precipitation, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 4545–4557, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4545-2023, 2023.
Kotsuki, S., Terasaki, K., Satoh, M., and Miyoshi, T.: Ensemble-based data assimilation of GPM DPR reflectivity: Cloud microphysics parameter estimation with the nonhydrostatic icosahedral atmospheric model (NICAM), Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 128, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022jd037447, 2023.
Kumjian, M. R. and Prat, O. P.: The Impact of Raindrop Collisional Processes on the Polarimetric Radar Variables, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 71, 3052–3067, https://doi.org/10.1175/jas-d-13-0357.1, 2014.
Lasser, M., O, S., and Foelsche, U.: Evaluation of GPM-DPR precipitation estimates with WegenerNet gauge data, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 5055–5070, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-5055-2019, 2019.
Lee, S. S., Donner, L. J., Phillips, V. T. J., and Ming, Y.: The dependence of aerosol effects on clouds and precipitation on cloud-system organization, shear and stability, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 113, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD009224, 2008.
Li, J., Carlson, B. E., Yung, Y. L., Lv, D., Hansen, J., Penner, J. E., Liao, H., Ramaswamy, V., Kahn, R. A., Zhang, P., Dubovik, O., Ding, A., Lacis, A. A., Zhang, L., and Dong, Y.: Scattering and absorbing aerosols in the climate system, Nat. Rev. Earth Environ., 3, 363–379, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-022-00296-7, 2022.
Li, J., Zhao, C., Sun, Y., Zhao, X., Yang, J., Yang, Y., Chen, A., and Zhou, Y.: Distinct Aerosol Impacts on Local Scale Convective Rainfall Between Sichuan Basin and North China Plain Regions in China, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 130, e2024JD042649, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JD042649, 2025a.
Li, Z., Lau, W. K.-M., Ramanathan, V., Wu, G., Ding, Y., Manoj, M. G., Liu, J., Qian, Y., Li, J., Zhou, T., Fan, J., Rosenfeld, D., Ming, Y., Wang, Y., Huang, J., Wang, B., Xu, X., Lee, S.-S., Cribb, M., Zhang, F., Yang, X., Zhao, C., Takemura, T., Wang, K., Xia, X., Yin, Y., Zhang, H., Guo, J., Zhai, P. M., Sugimoto, N., Babu, S. S., and Brasseur, G. P.: Aerosol and monsoon climate interactions over asia, Reviews of Geophysics, 54, 866–929, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015RG000500, 2016.
Li, Z., Wang, Y., Guo, J., Zhao, C., Cribb, M. C., Dong, X., Fan, J., Gong, D., Huang, J., Jiang, M., Jiang, Y., Lee, S.-S., Li, H., Li, J., Liu, J., Qian, Y., Rosenfeld, D., Shan, S., Sun, Y., Wang, H., Xin, J., Yan, X., Yang, X., Yang, X., Zhang, F., and Zheng, Y.: East asian study of tropospheric aerosols and their impact on regional clouds, precipitation, and climate (EAST-AIRCPC), Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 124, 13026–13054, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030758, 2019.
Li, Z., Ge, S., Hu, X., Ai, W., Tang, J., Qiao, J., Hu, S., Zhao, X., Wu, H., Li, Z., Ge, S., Hu, X., Ai, W., Tang, J., Qiao, J., Hu, S., Zhao, X., and Wu, H.: Preliminary analysis of a novel spaceborne pseudo tripe-frequency radar observations on cloud and precipitation: EarthCARE CPR-GPM DPR coincidence dataset, Remote Sensing, 17, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17152550, 2025b.
Liu, C. and Zipser, E. J.: The global distribution of largest, deepest, and most intense precipitation systems, Geophysical Research Letters, 42, 3591–3595, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015gl063776, 2015.
Liu, Y., de Leeuw, G., Kerminen, V.-M., Zhang, J., Zhou, P., Nie, W., Qi, X., Hong, J., Wang, Y., Ding, A., Guo, H., Krüger, O., Kulmala, M., and Petäjä, T.: Analysis of aerosol effects on warm clouds over the Yangtze River Delta from multi-sensor satellite observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 5623–5641, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5623-2017, 2017.
Peng, H., Hu, X., Ai, W., Qiao, J., and Zhao, X.: Effects of fine and coarse aerosols on the summer precipitation structure and microphysics over the Yangtze River delta region, Atmospheric Research, 326, 108277, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2025.108277, 2025.
Pravia-Sarabia, E., Montávez, J. P., Halifa-Marin, A., Jiménez-Guerrero, P., and Gomez-Navarro, J. J.: The role of aerosol concentration on precipitation in a winter extreme mixed-phase system: The case of storm filomena, Remote Sensing, 15, 1398, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15051398, 2023.
Ramanathan, V., Crutzen, P. J., Kiehl, J. T., and Rosenfeld, D.: Aerosols, Climate, and the Hydrological Cycle, Science, 294, 2119–2124, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1064034, 2001.
Riemer, M., Montgomery, M. T., and Nicholls, M. E.: A new paradigm for intensity modification of tropical cyclones: thermodynamic impact of vertical wind shear on the inflow layer, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 3163–3188, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-3163-2010, 2010.
Rosenfeld, D., Lohmann, U., Raga, G. B., O'Dowd, C. D., Kulmala, M., Fuzzi, S., Reissell, A., and Andreae, M. O.: Flood or Drought: How Do Aerosols Affect Precipitation?, Science, 321, 1309–1313, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1160606, 2008.
Shao, H. and Liu, G.: Why is the satellite observed aerosol's indirect effect so variable?, Geophysical Research Letters, 32, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL023260, 2005.
Snively, D. V. and Gallus, W. A.: Prediction of Convective Morphology in Near-Cloud-Permitting WRF Model Simulations, Weather and Forecasting, 29, 130–149, https://doi.org/10.1175/waf-d-13-00047.1, 2014.
Stevens, B. and Feingold, G.: Untangling aerosol effects on clouds and precipitation in a buffered system, Nature, 461, 607–613, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08281, 2009.
Stier, P., van den Heever, S. C., Christensen, M. W., Gryspeerdt, E., Dagan, G., Saleeby, S. M., Bollasina, M., Donner, L., Emanuel, K., Ekman, A. M. L., Feingold, G., Field, P., Forster, P., Haywood, J., Kahn, R., Koren, I., Kummerow, C., L'Ecuyer, T., Lohmann, U., Ming, Y., Myhre, G., Quaas, J., Rosenfeld, D., Samset, B., Seifert, A., Stephens, G., and Tao, W.-K.: Multifaceted aerosol effects on precipitation, Nat. Geosci., 17, 719–732, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01482-6, 2024.
Storer, R. L., Van Den Heever, S. C., and Stephens, G. L.: Modeling Aerosol Impacts on Convective Storms in Different Environments, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 67, 3904–3915, https://doi.org/10.1175/2010jas3363.1, 2010.
Sun, N., Fu, Y., Zhong, L., and Li, R.: Aerosol effects on the vertical structure of precipitation in east China, npj Clim. Atmos. Sci., 5, 60, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-022-00284-0, 2022.
Sun, Y. and Zhao, C.: Distinct impacts on precipitation by aerosol radiative effect over three different megacity regions of eastern China, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16555–16574, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16555-2021, 2021.
Sun, Y., Dong, X., Cui, W., Zhou, Z., Fu, Z., Zhou, L., Deng, Y., and Cui, C.: Vertical Structures of Typical Meiyu Precipitation Events Retrieved From GPM-DPR, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 125, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019jd031466, 2020.
Sun, Y., Wang, Y., Zhao, C., Zhou, Y., Yang, Y., Yang, X., Fan, H., Zhao, X., and Yang, J.: Vertical Dependency of Aerosol Impacts on Local Scale Convective Precipitation, Geophysical Research Letters, 50, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022gl102186, 2023.
Twomey, S.: Pollution and the planetary albedo, Atmospheric Environment (1967), 8, 1251–1256, https://doi.org/10.1016/0004-6981(74)90004-3, 1974.
Wang, Z., Hu, X., Ai, W., Qiao, J., and Zhao, X.: Microphysical characteristics of monsoon precipitation over yangtze-and-huai river basin and south China: A comparative study from GPM DPR observation, Remote Sensing, 16, 3433, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16183433, 2024.
Wen, L., Chen, G., Yang, C., Zhang, H., and Fu, Z.: Seasonal variations in precipitation microphysics over East China based on GPM DPR observations, Atmospheric Research, 293, 106933, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2023.106933, 2023.
Xi, J., Li, R., Fan, X., and Wang, Y.: Aerosol effects on the three-dimensional structure of organized precipitation systems over Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in summer, Atmospheric Research, 298, 107146, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2023.107146, 2024.
Xi, J., Wang, Y., Li, R., Wu, B., Fan, X., Ma, X., and Meng, Z.: The impact of Sahara dust aerosols on the three-dimensional structure of precipitation systems of different sizes in spring, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2799, 2025.
Xiao, Y., Zhang, J., Zhu, J., and Dai, Q.: Exploration of aerosol-precipitation relationships under different climate regimes in China, GIScience & Remote Sensing, 62, https://doi.org/10.1080/15481603.2025.2457992, 2025.
Xie, X., Liu, X., Peng, Y., Wang, Y., Yue, Z., and Li, X.: Numerical simulation of clouds and precipitation depending on different relationships between aerosol and cloud droplet spectral dispersion, Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology, 65, 19054, https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v65i0.19054, 2013.
Zhai, H., Yao, J., Wang, G., and Tang, X.: Spatio-Temporal Characteristics and Variation Pattern of the Atmospheric Particulate Matter Concentration: A Case Study of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region, China, Atmosphere, 13, 120, https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13010120, 2022.
Zhang, J., Gao, Z., and Li, Y.: Deep-Learning Correction Methods for Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model Precipitation Forecasting: A Case Study over Zhengzhou, China, Atmosphere, 15, 631, https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15060631, 2024.
Zhao, C., Klein, S. A., Xie, S., Liu, X., Boyle, J. S., and Zhang, Y.: Aerosol first indirect effects on non-precipitating low-level liquid cloud properties as simulated by CAM5 at ARM sites, Geophysical Research Letters, 39, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL051213, 2012.
Zhao, C., Lin, Y., Wu, F., Wang, Y., Li, Z., Rosenfeld, D., and Wang, Y.: Enlarging Rainfall Area of Tropical Cyclones by Atmospheric Aerosols, Geophysical Research Letters, 45, 8604–8611, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079427, 2018.
Zhao, C., Yang, Y., Fan, H., Huang, J., Fu, Y., Zhang, X., Kang, S., Cong, Z., Letu, H., and Menenti, M.: Aerosol characteristics and impacts on weather and climate over the Tibetan Plateau, Natl. Sci. Rev., 7, 492–495, https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwz184, 2020.
Zhao, C., Sun, Y., Yang, J., Li, J., Zhou, Y., Yang, Y., Fan, H., and Zhao, X.: Observational evidence and mechanisms of aerosol effects on precipitation, Science Bulletin, 69, 1569–1580, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2024.03.014, 2024.
Zhao, J., Li, T., Shi, K., Qiao, Z., and Xia, Z.: Evaluation of ERA-5 precipitable water vapor data in plateau areas: A case study of the northern qinghai-tibet plateau, Atmosphere, 12, 1367, https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12101367, 2021.
Zhao, X., Zhao, C., Chi, Y., Yang, J., Sun, Y., Yang, Y., and Fan, H.: Different Impacts of Aerosols on Cloud Development over Land and Ocean Regions in East China, Adv. Atmos. Sci., 42, 731–743, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-024-4165-z, 2025.
Zhou, J., Zhao, W., Fang, B., Xu, X., Wang, S., Liu, Q., Zhang, W., and Chen, W.: Unmanned-aerial-vehicle-borne cavity enhanced albedometer: A powerful tool for simultaneous in-situ measurement of aerosol light scattering and absorption vertical profiles, Opt. Express, 31, 20518, https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.493696, 2023.
Zhou, L., Xu, G., Xiao, Y., Wan, R., Wang, J., and Leng, L.: Vertical structures of abrupt heavy rainfall events over southwest China with complex topography detected by dual-frequency precipitation radar of global precipitation measurement satellite, Intl Journal of Climatology, 42, 7628–7647, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.7669, 2022.
Zhu, H., Zhao, H., Yang, S., Zhou, R., Wang, Y., Zou, Y., Zhao, C., and Li, R.: Smoke aerosols elevate precipitation top and latent heat to the upper atmosphere globally, npj Clim. Atmos. Sci., 8, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01047-3, 2025.
Zhuang, Y., Lin, T., Zhou, W., Guo, Z., and Wang, F.: Characteristics of temporal variations in organic and elemental carbon aerosols from Eastern China in 2011–2020, Journal of Environmental Sciences, 155, 583–596, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2024.05.037, 2025.
Short summary
This study investigates aerosol-precipitation characteristics of urban clusters across different climatic areas in China: enhanced aerosol loading reduces regional precipitation disparities, most in spring & summer. Precipitation shows stronger regional than seasonal variability, with convective varying more than stratiform precipitation. Northern city precipitation is dominated by dust aerosols; coastal areas by sea salt. Moreover, dynamic & thermal impacts on their microphysics are distinct.
This study investigates aerosol-precipitation characteristics of urban clusters across different...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint