Cloud 'shrinking' and 'optical thinning' in the 'dimming' period and a subsequent recovery in the 'brightening' period over China

There was a dramatic increase in aerosol loading in China after the 1960s due to rapid industrialization, followed by a gradual reduction due to improvements in air quality since the early 2000s. They are deemed to be the main cause of 'dimming' and 'brightening' in China, respectively. China, therefore, provides an ideal testbed to investigate the multi-decadal evolution of clouds under a background of large variations in the amount of atmospheric aerosols. We used a unique combination of long-term in-situ observational records combined with a radiative transfer model to investigate the changes in clouds and aerosols over the last 60 years (1958-2018) over China. We found during the dimming period, the clouds over China shrunk in area steadily, gradually thinned in terms of optical depth, and thereby blocked less and less solar radiation. This situation reversed during the brightening period. The clouds over China showed a quick expansion in extent and thickening in terms of optical depth, and accordingly the amounts of solar radiation blocked by clouds recovered rapidly. It is observationally demonstrated that high levels of pollution and the associated amount of aerosols cause a suppression of cloud growth and a reduction of optical depth.

Automated summary

There was a significant increase in aerosol loading in China after the 1960s due to rapid industrialization, followed by a gradual reduction in the early 2000s with improvements in air quality, causing 'dimming' and 'brightening'. Research shows that high levels of pollution and associated aerosols suppress cloud growth and reduce optical depth.