Articles | Volume 26, issue 13
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-9373-2026
© 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-26-9373-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
03 Jul 2026
Research article |
| 03 Jul 2026
| 03 Jul 2026
Susceptibility of marine warm clouds to aerosols in different monsoon periods over the South China Sea
Advanced Science & Technology of Space and Atmospheric Physics Group (ASAG), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 519082 Zhuhai, China
Hailing Jia
SRON Space Research Organisation Netherlands, Leiden, the Netherlands
Yong Han
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Advanced Science & Technology of Space and Atmospheric Physics Group (ASAG), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 519082 Zhuhai, China
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Hailing Jia, David Neubauer, Yusuf Bhatti, Duncan Watson-Parris, Philip Stier, Johannes Quaas, Daniel Partridge, Ardit Arifi, Anne Kubin, Athanasios Nenes, Muhammed Irfan, Ulas Im, Carl Svenhag, Nick Schutgens, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, Sylvaine Ferrachat, Ulrike Lohmann, Ina Tegen, Alice Henkes, Guangliang Fu, and Otto Hasekamp
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3275, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3275, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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Tiny aerosol particles affect Earth’s climate by interacting with clouds and sunlight, but their impact remains uncertain. Combining climate model simulations and emulators, we explored millions of model variants across different aerosol and cloud settings to identify the causes of the uncertainty. We found that aerosol emissions and cloud convection are key contributors. Our work suggests that better integration of existing observations could help reduce these uncertainties in the future.
Yusuf A. Bhatti, Duncan Watson-Parris, Leighton A. Regayre, Hailing Jia, David Neubauer, Ulas Im, Carl Svenhag, Nick Schutgens, Athanasios Tsikerdekis, Athanasios Nenes, Muhammed Irfan, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, Ardit Arifi, Guangliang Fu, and Otto P. Hasekamp
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 269–293, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-269-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-269-2026, 2026
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Aerosols (small airborne particles) impact Earth's climate, but their extent is unknown. By running climate model simulations and using machine learning to emulate millions of additional variants with different settings, we found that natural emissions like sea spray and sulfur are key sources of uncertainty in climate predictions. Our work shows that understanding these natural processes better can help improve climate models and make future climate projections more accurate.
Jianqi Zhao, Xiaoyan Ma, Johannes Quaas, and Hailing Jia
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9101–9118, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9101-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9101-2024, 2024
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We explore aerosol–cloud interactions in liquid-phase clouds over eastern China and its adjacent ocean in winter based on the WRF-Chem–SBM model, which couples a spectral-bin microphysics scheme and an online aerosol module. Our study highlights the differences in aerosol–cloud interactions between land and ocean and between precipitation clouds and non-precipitation clouds, and it differentiates and quantifies their underlying mechanisms.
Hao Luo, Johannes Quaas, and Yong Han
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8169–8186, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8169-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8169-2023, 2023
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Clouds exhibit a wide range of vertical structures with varying microphysical and radiative properties. We show a global survey of spatial distribution, vertical extent and radiative effect of various classified cloud vertical structures using joint satellite observations from the new CCCM datasets during 2007–2010. Moreover, the long-term trends in CVSs are investigated based on different CMIP6 future scenarios to capture the cloud variations with different, increasing anthropogenic forcings.
Jianqi Zhao, Xiaoyan Ma, Johannes Quaas, and Hailing Jia
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-331, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-331, 2023
Preprint archived
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We improve the ability of WRF-Chem model to simulate aerosol-cloud physical and chemical processes by coupling a spectral-bin cloud microphysics scheme and online aerosol module, and consequently explore the aerosol-cloud interactions over eastern China and its adjacent ocean in boreal winter. Our study highlights the differences in aerosol-cloud interactions between land and ocean, precipitation clouds and non-precipitation clouds, and differentiates and quantifies their underlying mechanisms.
Johannes Quaas, Hailing Jia, Chris Smith, Anna Lea Albright, Wenche Aas, Nicolas Bellouin, Olivier Boucher, Marie Doutriaux-Boucher, Piers M. Forster, Daniel Grosvenor, Stuart Jenkins, Zbigniew Klimont, Norman G. Loeb, Xiaoyan Ma, Vaishali Naik, Fabien Paulot, Philip Stier, Martin Wild, Gunnar Myhre, and Michael Schulz
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12221–12239, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12221-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12221-2022, 2022
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Pollution particles cool climate and offset part of the global warming. However, they are washed out by rain and thus their effect responds quickly to changes in emissions. We show multiple datasets to demonstrate that aerosol emissions and their concentrations declined in many regions influenced by human emissions, as did the effects on clouds. Consequently, the cooling impact on the Earth energy budget became smaller. This change in trend implies a relative warming.
Hailing Jia, Johannes Quaas, Edward Gryspeerdt, Christoph Böhm, and Odran Sourdeval
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 7353–7372, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7353-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7353-2022, 2022
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Aerosol–cloud interaction is the most uncertain component of the anthropogenic forcing of the climate. By combining satellite and reanalysis data, we show that the strength of the Twomey effect (S) increases remarkably with vertical velocity. Both the confounding effect of aerosol–precipitation interaction and the lack of vertical co-location between aerosol and cloud are found to overestimate S, whereas the retrieval biases in aerosol and cloud appear to underestimate S.
Hao Luo, Li Dong, Yichen Chen, Yuefeng Zhao, Delong Zhao, Mengyu Huang, Deping Ding, Jiayuan Liao, Tian Ma, Maohai Hu, and Yong Han
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 2507–2524, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2507-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2507-2022, 2022
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Aerosol–planetary boundary layer (PBL) interaction is a key mechanism for stabilizing the atmosphere and exacerbating surface air pollution. Using aircraft measurements and WRF-Chem simulations, we find that the aerosol–PBL interaction of different aerosols under contrasting synoptic patterns, PBL structures, and aerosol vertical distributions vary significantly. We attempt to determine which pollutants to target in different synoptic conditions to attain more precise air pollution control.
Mengmeng Li, Zihan Zhang, Quan Yao, Tijian Wang, Min Xie, Shu Li, Bingliang Zhuang, and Yong Han
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15135–15152, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15135-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15135-2021, 2021
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We establish the nonlinear responses between nitrate and NOx in China. Reduction of NOx results in linearly lower nitrate in summer–autumn whereas an increase of winter nitrate until an inflexion point at 40–50 % reduction due to the excess oxidants. NH3 and VOCs are effective in controlling nitrate pollution, whereas decreasing the SO2 and NOx emissions may have counterintuitive effects on nitrate aerosols. This paper helps understand the nonlinear aerosol and photochemistry feedback.
Hao Luo and Yong Han
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15171–15184, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15171-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15171-2021, 2021
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The various feedbacks of Atlantic tropical cyclones (TCs) to the Saharan air layer (SAL) are determined by the combined effects of dry air masses, the dust aerosols as ice nuclei, and dynamic, thermodynamic, and moisture conditions. The specific influence mechanisms of SAL on the three intensities of TCs (tropical depression, tropical storm, and hurricane) are different. The conclusions are beneficial to our recognition of the physical process and evolution of TCs in the Atlantic region.
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Short summary
This study explores how tiny particles in the air influence non-raining warm clouds over the South China Sea in different monsoon periods. Using long-term satellite observations and reanalysis datasets, we show that cloud sensitivity to these particles changes with moisture and atmospheric stability. Dry and stable conditions make clouds more responsive, while moist environments weaken this effect. These results help improve how climate models describe cloud behavior.
This study explores how tiny particles in the air influence non-raining warm clouds over the...
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