Environmental Science · Global and Planetary Change
A study of aerosol plumes over northeast Pacific clouds found that natural differences in plume-spreading speed did not materially change the sunlight-reflecting effect of brighter clouds. But idealized simulations suggest models that assume aerosols spread instantly could overestimate cooling by 10–200%.
Deep convective clouds carried ice-forming particles into the upper atmosphere at concentrations at least 100 times higher than the local upper-troposphere background. The measurements also suggest that precipitation removes particles that form ice at relatively warm temperatures, while colder-active particles are transported upward.
EarthCARE’s radar is providing global measurements of rising air inside tropical clouds, rather than relying only on indirect signs. The strongest updrafts were more common over land, especially during afternoon satellite passes, and were linked to compact cloud systems.
