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ACP - recent papers

Combined list of the recent articles of the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics and the recent discussion forum Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions
  • Optical properties and shape-dependent retrievals of the imaginary part of the refractive index of freshly emitted Saharan dust
    Optical properties and shape-dependent retrievals of the imaginary part of the refractive index of freshly emitted Saharan dust Jesús Yus-Díez, Jeronimo Escribano, Marco Pandolfi, Andrés Alastuey, Cristina González-Flórez, Adolfo Gonzalez-Romero, María Gonçalves Ageitos, Matic Ivančič, Martina Klose, Konrad Kandler, Vincenzo Obiso, Agnesh Panta, Cristina Reche, Martin Rigler, Xavier Querol, and Carlos Perez García-Pando Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 14531–14557, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-14531-2026, 2026 Here we present measurements of dust optical properties during active emissions at a source region in the Moroccan Sahara. We present results on its single scattering albedo, absorption and scattering wavelength dependence and mass efficiency. Furthermore, we have performed imaginary refractive index (k) retrieval under varying assumptions of the refractive index real part, and particle sphericity. We also provide a comparison between the k retrievals and estimations on dust k from AERONET.

  • Influence of irradiance and mixing layer height on the vertical trace matter distribution in the lower planetary boundary layer – drone-based investigation
    Influence of irradiance and mixing layer height on the vertical trace matter distribution in the lower planetary boundary layer – drone-based investigation Lasse Moormann, Friederike Fachinger, Holger Tost, and Frank Drewnick Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 14417–14437, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-14417-2026, 2026 Using drone-based vertical profiling, we a) compare the sensitivity of various meteorological and trace substances to detect mixing layer heights at night, b) investigate the dependency of the vertical trace matter distribution on irradiance and mixing layer heights and c) evaluate the representativity of ground-based measured variables for the lowermost troposphere and finally provide suggestions to enhance the representativity of ground-based measurement stations.

  • Summertime ozone sensitivity to temperature in China: observational evidence and mechanistic attribution in urban and rural areas in the Yangtze River Delta region
    Summertime ozone sensitivity to temperature in China: observational evidence and mechanistic attribution in urban and rural areas in the Yangtze River Delta region Chang Su, Massimo Bollasina, James Weber, and David Stevenson Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 14439–14469, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-14439-2026, 2026 Hot weather can strongly increase surface ozone, a harmful air pollutant, but the reasons differ between urban and rural areas. We studied a large city and a nearby rural region in eastern China using air quality observations and simplified chemistry modelling. We found that heat-driven plant emissions dominate ozone increases in the city, while chemical nitrogen cycling is key in the rural area. Our results help identify heat-resilient air pollution control strategies under climate change.

  • Sensitivity of the summertime diurnal precipitation cycle over three representative regions of China to convective trigger and closure treatments in a single-column model
    Sensitivity of the summertime diurnal precipitation cycle over three representative regions of China to convective trigger and closure treatments in a single-column model Xiaocong Wang, Yanjie Liu, and Yimin Liu Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 14471–14485, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-14471-2026, 2026 This study advances our understanding of the representation of the diurnal cycle of precipitation (DCP) in numerical models. By systematically comparing three convection schemes with different trigger and closure treatments using a single-column model, this study identifies the physical mechanisms responsible for these biases and evaluates the effectiveness of various modifications in improving DCP simulations over China.

  • Asymptotic behavior of lidar scattering properties of absorbing dust aerosols across Rayleigh and geometrical-optics regimes: theory and implications
    Asymptotic behavior of lidar scattering properties of absorbing dust aerosols across Rayleigh and geometrical-optics regimes: theory and implications Anthony La Luna, Zhibo Zhang, Qianqian Song, Hongbin Yu, John E. Yorks, and Ping Yang Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 14487–14506, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-14487-2026, 2026 Mineral dust blown from deserts affects air quality and climate worldwide. Scientists use laser instruments on satellites to detect and measure dust. We discovered that very large, iron-rich dust particles produce signals that fool these instruments into misidentifying them as pollution or smoke. Using light scattering theory, we showed this confusion follows universal physical laws regardless of dust shape – helping scientists better interpret next-generation satellite measurements.