RCEMIP‐ACI: Aerosol‐Cloud Interactions in a Multimodel Ensemble of Radiative‐Convective Equilibrium Simulations

Journal article

Plain Language Summary: Aerosols, small particles suspended in the atmosphere, influence cloud properties by acting as nuclei for cloud droplet formation. These aerosol‐cloud interactions (ACI) introduce uncertainties in climate research, making it essential to improve our understanding of them. This paper presents findings from a model intercomparison project that examines the impact of aerosols on clouds and climate in simulations that directly represent cloud processes under idealized equilibrium climate conditions. We show that cloud responses to aerosols vary substantially across models, though certain consistent responses emerge. Specifically, increased aerosol loading generally suppresses initial rain formation, which in turn alters the thermodynamic conditions of the atmosphere. We also discuss how these thermodynamic changes influence the large‐scale atmospheric circulation.

Authors: Dagan, G; van den Heever, SC; Stier, P; Abbott, TH; Barthlott, C

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 11
• Article number: e2025MS005141
• Publication date: 2025-11-17
• Acceptance date: 2025-10-28
• DOI: 10.1029/2025ms005141
• EISSN: 1942-2466
• ISSN: 1942-2466
• Language: English
• Keywords: model intercomparison; clouds; radiative convective equilibrium; aerosols