Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research

TRAILS – a novel framework for time-height-resolved attribution of long-range transported wildfire smoke

Abstract. Accurately attributing long-range transported wildfire smoke to specific sources remains challenging, especially for elevated plumes. This study presents the TRAILS tool (Trajectory-based Identification of Lofted Smoke), which extends the automated air mass source attri...

Observational Validation of Boundary‐Layer Cloud Regimes in Arctic Cold Air Outbreaks

Abstract Arctic cold air outbreaks (CAOs) produce low‐level cloud patterns influencing the surface radiative balance. The stability parameter (boundary‐layer height over Monin‐Obukhov length) is theorized to distinguish shear‐driven roll convection from buoyancy‐driven cellular c...

An Arctic climatology of particle number size distributions and cloud condensation nuclei during warm and moist intrusions

Abstract Recent studies indicate that warm and moist intrusions are significant sources of aerosols in the Arctic. Yet their contribution to different aerosol particle size modes, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), and droplet number concentrations ( N d ) remains largely unconstra...

Renoxification via Reduction of Inorganic Nitrate by Photoacids in Aerosols

Abstract Particulate nitrate (pNO3–) present in biomass burning aerosols has been found to efficiently release reactive nitrogen oxides (NOy) in a process called renoxification. Despite the importance this process has in promoting ozone formation in the lower atmosphere, mechanis...

Validation of cloud macrophysical properties from the ATLID Level 2a products A-TC, A-FM, A-CTH using airborne lidar observations during the HALO missions PERCUSION, ASCCI and NAWDIC

The Earth Cloud, Aerosol, and Radiation Explors (EarthCARE) satellite mission aims to improve our understanding of cloud–aerosol–radiation interactions in the Earth's climate system. Its Atmospheric Lidar (ATLID) instrument aboard EarthCARE provides important observational data f...

Upward transport and segregation of ice-nucleating particles in deep convective clouds

Abstract. Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) play a crucial role in Earth’s weather and climate by influencing cloud properties and precipitation. However, their abundance in the free troposphere, vertical distribution, and transport mechanisms are not well-characterized. This study...

Tracking air volumes for assessing the effect of urban aerosols on convective precipitation: a multi-member modeling study

Abstract. Urban emissions impact aerosol–cloud interactions and thereby modify precipitation patterns, yet whether realistic emission perturbations from a mid-sized European city produce detectable effects above internal meteorological variability in a high-background aerosol env...

Observation-based analysis of horizontally oriented ice crystals using dual-angle polarization lidar and cloud Doppler radar in Beijing

Abstract. Ice crystal orientation strongly influences cloud radiative properties and remote sensing retrievals, but long-term, high-resolution quantitative observations remain scarce. This study presents comprehensive case studies and statistical analyses of horizontally oriented...

Morphological and Size‐Dependent Enrichment of Endotoxins in Coastal Spray Aerosols: Implications for Regional Respiratory Health Risks

Abstract Sea spray aerosols (SSA) transport bioactive substances that affect the Earth's environmental and climate system. We investigated the enrichment of endotoxins (LPS), characterized their influence on the SSA morphologies, and evaluated the respiratory tract deposition. LP...

Exploring the hydrogen abstraction pathway in HOM formation from α -pinene photooxidation systems under varying NO conditions

Abstract. Highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOM) are formed via autoxidation during ⚫OH-initiated oxidation of α-pinene. We investigated the relative contributions of OH-addition and hydrogen (H)-abstraction to HOM formation from α-pinene photooxidation under varying nitrogen...