Idealized particle-resolved large-eddy simulations  to evaluate the impact of emissions  spatial heterogeneity on CCN activity

Frederick, Samuel G.; Mohebalhojeh, Matin; Curtis, Jeffrey H.; West, Matthew; Riemer, Nicole

doi:10.5194/acp-26-4863-2026

Articles | Volume 26, issue 7

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-4863-2026

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

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-4863-2026

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

Articles | Volume 26, issue 7

Research article

|

14 Apr 2026

Research article |

| 14 Apr 2026

Idealized particle-resolved large-eddy simulations to evaluate the impact of emissions spatial heterogeneity on CCN activity

Samuel G. Frederick, Matin Mohebalhojeh, Jeffrey H. Curtis, Matthew West, and Nicole Riemer

Data sets

Data for "Idealized Particle-Resolved Large-Eddy Simulations to Evaluate the Impact of Emissions Spatial Heterogeneity on CCN Activity" Samuel Frederick et al. https://doi.org/10.13012/B2IDB-9622921_V3

Model code and software

WRF-PartMC-MOSAIC-LES Samuel Frederick et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18644307

Interactive computing environment

Data for "Idealized Particle-Resolved Large-Eddy Simulations to Evaluate the Impact of Emissions Spatial Heterogeneity on CCN Activity" Samuel Frederick et al. https://doi.org/10.13012/B2IDB-9622921_V3

Short summary

We show with detailed computer simulations that spatial patterns of emissions strongly affect aerosols and their ability to seed clouds. Highly variable emissions can raise cloud-forming particle concentrations in the boundary layer by up to 25 %. Because clouds regulate climate and precipitation, these findings underscore the need to represent realistic emission patterns to improve climate predictions.