Influence of natural and anthropogenic aerosols on cloud base droplet size distributions in clouds over the South China Sea and West Pacific

• Published in: Atmospheric chemistry and physics Vol. 23; no. 15; pp. 8959 - 8977
• Main Authors: Miller, Rose Marie, Rauber, Robert M, Di Girolamo, Larry, Rilloraza, Matthew, Fu, Dongwei, McFarquhar, Greg M, Nesbitt, Stephen W, Ziemba, Luke D, Woods, Sarah, Thornhill, Kenneth Lee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Katlenburg-Lindau Copernicus GmbH 11.08.2023; Copernicus Publications
• Subjects: Aerosol chemistry; Aerosol-cloud interactions; Aerosols; Aircraft; Airports; Analysis; Anthropogenic climate changes; Anthropogenic factors; Biomass; Biomass burning; Black carbon; Boundary layers; Burning; Cargo ships; Chemical composition; Climate change; Cloud droplet concentration; Cloud droplet size; Cloud droplets; Cloud properties; Clouds; Cumulus clouds; Droplets; Emissions; Energy budget; Experiments; Global temperature changes; Human influences; Hydrologic cycle; Hydrological cycle; Hydrology; Industrial plant emissions; Marine aerosols; Marine chemistry; Meteorology; Ozone; Plumes; Radiation; Regions; Ships; Sulphates; Tanker ships; Uncertainty; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Wind; Philippines; South China Sea; Southeast Asia; Indian Ocean; Asia; Luzon; East Asia; Sulu Sea
• ISSN: 1680-7324; 1680-7316; 1680-7324
• DOI: 10.5194/acp-23-8959-2023

Cumulus clouds are common over maritime regions. They are important regulators of the global radiative energy budget and global hydrologic cycle, as well as a key contributor to the uncertainty in anthropogenic climate change projections due to uncertainty in aerosol-cloud interactions. These interactions are regionally specific owing to their strong influences on aerosol sources and meteorology. Here, our analysis focuses on the statistical properties of marine boundary layer (MBL) aerosol chemistry and the relationships of MBL aerosol to cumulus cloud properties just above cloud base as sampled in 2019 during the NASA Cloud, Aerosol and Monsoon Processes Philippines Experiment (CAMP.sup.2 Ex). The aerosol and clouds were sampled by instruments on the NASA P-3 aircraft over three distinct maritime regions around the Philippines: the West Pacific, the South China Sea, and the Sulu Sea.