Aerosol-Cloud Interactions in Marine Warm Clouds

Dear Colleagues,

Marine warm clouds are found ubiquitously over global oceans. They cool the Earth effectively by reflecting a significant portion of the incoming solar radiation that would otherwise (in the absence of these clouds) be largely absorbed by the dark ocean (∼94%), serving as key climate regulators. Tiny particles in the atmosphere (aerosols), serving as cloud condensation nuclei, govern the micro- and macrophysical properties of marine warm clouds. An increase in aerosol loading leads to increased cloud droplet number concentration and reduced droplet sizes (the Twomey effect). Subsequently affected by these microphysical changes are processes that modulate cloud macrophysical properties, e.g., cloud-top entrainment, evaporation, and precipitation. Quantifying these adjustments in cloud macrophysical properties remains challenging due to their dependence on spatiotemporal scales and co-varying meteorological conditions, resulting in persistent uncertainties in estimating effective radiative forcing due to aerosol–cloud interactions.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide recent advances towards better understanding and quantification of aerosol–warm cloud interactions at various spatiotemporal scales and environmental conditions, as well as their impact on the regional and global climate. Original research studies, reviews, and perspective articles on the topic of aerosol–cloud interactions are all encouraged. We invite and welcome studies at all scales, from laboratory to field work and from regional investigations to global assessments, using all kinds of approaches, from in situ and remote sensing observations to modelling and machine learning approaches.

Dr. Jianhao Zhang
Dr. Hendrik Andersen
Dr. Tom Goren
Guest Editors

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• aerosol-cloud interactions
• aerosol indirect effects
• twomey effect
• cloud macrophysical adjustments
• marine boundary layer clouds
• satellite remote sensing
• large-eddy simulation
• machine learning
• cloud modeling
• marine cloud brightening
• geoengineering
• climate intervention