Large effects of fine and coarse aerosols on tropical deep convective systems throughout their lifecycle

• Published in: NPJ climate and atmospheric science Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 195 - 10
• Main Authors: Yin, Jianhua, Pan, Zengxin, Mao, Feiyue, Rosenfeld, Daniel, Zang, Lin, Chen, Jiangping, Gong, Jianya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 24.08.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 704/106/35/823; 704/172/4081; Aerosols; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Atmospheric Sciences; Climate; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts; Climate effects; Climatology; Clouds; Convective precipitation; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Hypotheses; Outdoor air quality; Precipitation; Rain; Rainfall; Satellites; Tropical environment; Tropical environments
• ISSN: 2397-3722
• DOI: 10.1038/s41612-024-00739-6

Previous studies have shown that aerosols invigorate deep convective systems (DCS). However, the magnitude or even the existence of aerosol invigoration of DCS remains controversial. Here, we aimed to observationally quantify the full aerosol effects on DCS by tracking their entire lifecycle and spatial extent in tropical regions. We found that fine aerosols (FA) can invigorate DCS, making them taller and longer lived, and resulting in up to ×5 increase in total area and rainfall amount. In contrast, added coarse sea salt aerosols (CSA) over the ocean can inhibit the vertical development of DCS through enhancing warm rain formation, yet resulting in longer lived and extensive DCSs. Notably, combining FA and CSA generates the strongest aerosol invigoration effect at the concentrations of ~5 and ~80 μg/m³, leading up to ×10 increase in rainfall amount. Our results indicate that aerosols significantly redistribute convective precipitation and climate effects, greatly underestimated in previous studies.