Inferring processes governing cloud transition during mid-latitude marine cold-air outbreaks from satellite

Zhang, Jianhao; Painemal, David; Dror, Tom; Lim, Jung-Sub; Sorooshian, Armin; Feingold, Graham

doi:10.5194/acp-26-6015-2026

Articles | Volume 26, issue 9

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6015-2026

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

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6015-2026

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

Articles | Volume 26, issue 9

Research article

|

05 May 2026

Research article |

| 05 May 2026

Inferring processes governing cloud transition during mid-latitude marine cold-air outbreaks from satellite

Jianhao Zhang, David Painemal, Tom Dror, Jung-Sub Lim, Armin Sorooshian, and Graham Feingold

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6015-2026-supplement

Data sets

ERA5 monthly averaged data on pressure levels from 1940 to present H. Hersbach et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.6860a573

ERA5 monthly averaged data on single levels from 1940 to present H. Hersbach et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.f17050d7

Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment Data A. Sorooshian et al. https://doi.org/10.5067/SUBORBITAL/ACTIVATE/DATA001

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Short summary

Clouds transitioning from overcast to broken fields play an important role in regulating the amount of sunlight reaching Earth’s surface. Using satellite imagery and a novel space-time exchange approach, we examine these transitions during marine cold-air outbreaks. Our analysis reveals characteristic signatures (or fingerprints) of liquid- and ice-phase processes, demonstrating how space-borne observations can provide new physical insight into cloud evolution.