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Atmosphere
Special Issues
Understanding Cloud Processes and Cloud–Climate Feedback: Progress, Challenges, and Perspectives
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Understanding Cloud Processes and Cloud–Climate Feedback: Progress, Challenges, and Perspectives

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Climatology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2026) | Viewed by 2739

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Hao Luo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Leipzig Institute for Meteorology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Interests: cloud processes; cloud–climate feedback; land–cloud–climate interactions; global climate change

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cloud processes span a wide range of temporal and spatial scales, from the microphysics of individual cloud droplets to the macrophysics of cloud systems at the regional and global scales. These processes are vital to the Earth–atmosphere system, affecting radiative balance, water cycles, and climate sensitivity. However, significant challenges persist in the understanding of cloud properties, largely due to limitations in observations and model parameterizations. Moreover, the uncertainties in cloud feedback mechanisms continue to limit our understanding of future climate change. This Special Issue, entitled “Understanding Cloud Processes and Cloud–Climate Feedback: Progress, Challenges, and Perspectives”, aims to bring together recent research on the characteristics of cloud processes, cloud feedback mechanisms, and their implications for climate sensitivity.

Submissions are invited from studies that have used satellite or in situ observations, advanced modeling techniques, and theoretical approaches to enhance our understanding of cloud macro- and micro-physics, cloud radiative effects, and the effects of clouds on regional and global climate patterns. Contributions that (1) address cloud physics and their processes, (2) explore the long-term changes in clouds and their radiative effects, or (3) provide a comprehensive analysis on cloud feedback mechanisms are particularly welcome. The encouraged topics are, however, not limited to the above. Papers contributing to garnering insight into the mechanisms of aerosol–cloud–climate interactions are also welcome. This Special Issue offers a platform for sharing innovative findings and discussing future research directions to improve the representation of clouds in climate models and ultimately reduce the uncertainties in climate projections.

Dr. Hao Luo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cloud processes
  • cloud physics
  • cloud–climate feedback
  • cloud radiative effects
  • climate change
  • satellite observations
  • climate modeling

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 12030 KB  
Article
A Modeling Study of the Impacts of 3-Dimensional Topography on Shallow-Convective Clouds
by Yunzuo He, Mingxin Gong, Shizuo Fu and Xin Deng
Atmosphere 2026, 17(3), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos17030245 - 27 Feb 2026
Viewed by 239
Abstract
Shallow-convective clouds (SCCs) play important roles in the Earth’s atmospheric system by affecting radiative balance, large-scale circulation, and transport of pollutants. It is common sense that topography exerts substantial impacts on SCCs. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we performed [...] Read more.
Shallow-convective clouds (SCCs) play important roles in the Earth’s atmospheric system by affecting radiative balance, large-scale circulation, and transport of pollutants. It is common sense that topography exerts substantial impacts on SCCs. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we performed large-eddy simulations (LESs) to investigate how three-dimensional (3D) topography affected SCCs. The 3D topography was constructed using two widely used two-dimensional (2D) topographies, a bell-shaped ridge varying in the x-direction and a series of sinusoidal ridges varying in the y-direction. The bell-shaped ridge was the major ridge. The upper parts and lower parts of the sinusoidal ridges were the minor ridges and minor valleys, respectively. The wavelength of the sinusoidal ridges was systematically varied. LESs were also performed separately using the 2D topographies. In the simulations with 3D topography, the upslope winds were mainly over the minor ridges and the return flows were mainly over the minor valleys, which was different from those in the simulations using 2D topographies. The upslope winds promoted the development of SCCs over the major ridges by producing large thermals and high humidity, similar to in the simulations using 2D topographies. Increasing the wavelength of minor ridges enlarged the region with convergence, and thereby increased the size of SCCs. Our results suggest that it is necessary to consider the 3D topography instead of the more conventional 2D topographies when investigating the topographic impacts on SCCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Understanding Cloud Processes and Cloud–Climate Feedback: Progress, Challenges, and Perspectives)
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23 pages, 2737 KB  
Article
The Role of Sea Breeze in the Coastal Stratocumulus Dissipation Transition in Antofagasta and San Diego
by Gabriela Pallauta Pérez, Ricardo C. Muñoz, Patricio Arrué and Mónica Zamora Zapata
Atmosphere 2025, 16(4), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16040437 - 9 Apr 2025
Viewed by 1950
Abstract
Coastal Stratocumulus clouds have a diurnal cycle influenced by solar heating and sea-breeze dynamics. These clouds typically thin after sunrise, and some of them fragment and then dissipate, a transition that has proven difficult to predict. In this work, we study the role [...] Read more.
Coastal Stratocumulus clouds have a diurnal cycle influenced by solar heating and sea-breeze dynamics. These clouds typically thin after sunrise, and some of them fragment and then dissipate, a transition that has proven difficult to predict. In this work, we study the role of sea breeze in the dissipation transition by analyzing observations at two coastal sites, Antofagasta, Chile, and San Diego, CA. Surface measurements of solar irradiance and wind speed allow us to diagnose cloud fragmentation time, dissipation time, and the onset of sea breeze. While both locations differ in meteorological conditions, the transition has a distinctive sequence with similar average times: sunrise, then sea breeze (43 min later), and finally fragmentation (1.25 h) and dissipation (4.1 h). While the sequence suggests that sea breeze may be causing fragmentation, correlations do not support that hypothesis; instead, solar and thermodynamic variables gain relevance. Later dissipation shows correspondence to stronger wind speed, more markedly in Antofagasta. Causality between wind speed and solar irradiance was assessed using Convergent Cross Mapping, showing a bidirectional positive correlation that is dominated by wind speed, more strongly in Antofagasta than in San Diego, highlighting the role of sea breeze in causing changes in cloudiness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Understanding Cloud Processes and Cloud–Climate Feedback: Progress, Challenges, and Perspectives)
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