Regulation of cloud particle spectra and vertical structure by sub-cloud aerosols: insights from  aircraft observations and numerical simulations

Liu, Deyu; Chen, Yue; Liu, Sihan; Wang, Honglei; Chen, Jingyi; Yang, Yang; Wang, Zihan; Cui, Kun; Zhao, Tianliang

doi:10.5194/acp-26-5781-2026

Articles | Volume 26, issue 8

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-5781-2026

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

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-5781-2026

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

Articles | Volume 26, issue 8

Research article

|

28 Apr 2026

Research article |

| 28 Apr 2026

Regulation of cloud particle spectra and vertical structure by sub-cloud aerosols: insights from aircraft observations and numerical simulations

Deyu Liu, Yue Chen, Sihan Liu, Honglei Wang, Jingyi Chen, Yang Yang, Zihan Wang, Kun Cui, and Tianliang Zhao

Data sets

Data for Regulation of Cloud Particle Spectra and Vertical Structure by Sub-Cloud Aerosols: Insights from Aircraft Observations and Numerical Simulations Honglei Wang https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18185814

Model code and software

Jingyi-chen/cloud_parcel_mode: Cloud parcel model J. Chen https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6148660

Short summary

Cloud droplets are vital for rainfall and climate, and tiny airborne particles called aerosols can change their size and number. Using airplane observations over Hebei and simulations, we found that aerosols strongly affect droplet vertical distribution. Under high aerosols, lower droplets are larger and more numerous; under low aerosols, upper droplets are larger. These changes affect cloud development, precipitation, and atmospheric energy.