Articles | Volume 26, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-3805-2026
© 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-26-3805-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Mar 2026
Research article |
| 17 Mar 2026
| 17 Mar 2026
Evaluation of UKESM aerosol size and composition using ATom measurements indicates missing marine aerosol formation mechanisms
Xu-Cheng He
Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Department of Chemical Engineering and Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Han Ding
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA
Maria R. Russo
Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Daniel P. Grosvenor
National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Centre for Environmental Modelling And Computation, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Xuemei Wang
Department of Chemical Engineering and Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA
Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut, De Bilt, the Netherlands
Anthony C. Jones
Met Office Hadley Centre, Exeter, UK
Pedro Campuzano-Jost
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and Department of Chemistry , University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, USA
Benjamin Nault
Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
Center for Aerosol and Cloud Chemistry, Aerodyne Research Inc., Billerica, USA
Agnieszka Kupc
Aerosol Physics and Environmental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Donald Blake
Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
Jose L. Jimenez
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and Department of Chemistry , University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, USA
Christina J. Williamson
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
James Weber
Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, UK
Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Hamish Gordon
Department of Chemical Engineering and Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA
Data sets
Evaluation of UKESM aerosol size and composition using ATom measurements indicates missing marine aerosol formation mechanisms - data resources He, Xu-Cheng https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18815332
ATom: Comprehensive Aerosol Properties, 2016-2018, Version 2 C. Brock et al. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2111
ATom: Merged Atmospheric Chemistry, Trace Gases, and Aerosols, Version 2 (Version 2.0) S. Wofsy et al. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1925
Short summary
Aerosols affect clouds and climate. However, current climate models still struggle to simulate them accurately. We used aircraft data from a global mission to evaluate how well the UK Earth System Model represents aerosols and their precursors. Our results show that the model misses key formation processes in clean ocean regions, suggesting that future improvements should focus on better representing how aerosols form naturally in the atmosphere.
Aerosols affect clouds and climate. However, current climate models still struggle to simulate...
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