The dominant role of aerosol-cloud interactions in aerosol-boundary layer feedback: Case studies in three megacities in China

Interactions between aerosols and meteorology have received increasing attention in recent decades. Through interactions with radiation, aerosols involve in thermodynamic processes and cause cloud adjustment, referred to as the direct and semi-direct effects respectively. They also involve in cloud microphysical processes by severing as cloud condensation nuclei or ice nuclei, referred to as indirect effect. Aerosol direct effect is found to potentially exacerbate air quality by stabilizing the planetary boundary layer (PBL). However, their impacts through the interaction with clouds, including semi-direct and indirect effect remain unclear. In this study, we conducted model simulations to evaluate the direct, semi-direct and indirect effects of aerosols in PBL structure and surface PM2.5 concentration during three heavy haze events under overcast conditions. Overall, the aerosol-PBL feedback results in a 22%-36% decrease of PBL height and 5%-28% increase of PM2.5 concentration. The indirect effect always has the largest impact on PBL and PM2.5 pollution, accounting for 59%-84% of the changes. The semi-direct effect is the weakest on average, although it can exceed the direct effect at certain times and locations. Black carbon aerosols play the vital role in both the direct and semi-direct effects. Our findings promote the understanding of heavy haze formation, and highlight the dominant role of aerosol-cloud interaction in the feedback process of aerosols to PBL structure and air quality.

Automated summary

Interactions between aerosols and meteorology have significant impacts on air quality and heavy haze formation. This study evaluates the direct, semi-direct, and indirect effects of aerosols on boundary layer structure and PM2.5 concentration through model simulations. The findings show that the indirect effect has the largest impact on boundary layer height and PM2.5 pollution, while the semi-direct effect is relatively weak. Black carbon aerosols play a vital role in modulating aerosol-cloud interactions.