Aerosol–Climate Linkages Under Global Warming and Emission Transitions

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Aerosols".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 March 2026 | Viewed by 299

Special Issue Editors

College of Atmospheric Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: aerosol physics; climate change; wildfires-smoke-weather-climate interactions; aerosol-radiation-cloud interactions

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Guest Editor
Department of Earth and Environment Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
Interests: light-absorbing aerosols; radiative focings; aerosol-cloud interactions; agricultural irriagtion; biosphere-atmosphere interactions

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Guest Editor
College of Science, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
Interests: aerosol climate interactions; atmospheric boundary layer meteorology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Interactions among aerosols, radiation, and clouds play a crucial role in modulating the Earth’s climate system by altering the surface and atmospheric energy balance. Conversely, climate change can influence aerosol emissions and transport by modifying near-surface meteorological conditions and atmospheric circulation. While global mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) has shown a declining trend in recent years, largely due to clean energy policies and air quality regulations, a contrasting pattern has emerged in certain regions. In high-latitude areas of the Northern Hemisphere, where global warming is particularly pronounced, AOD has exhibited an increasing trend. This spatial divergence suggests a possible co-occurrence of warming and aerosol accumulation, highlighting the complex, regionally dependent nature of aerosol–climate linkages. Despite regional emission reductions, the possible positive feedback between aerosol loading and climate anomalies remains poorly understood. This highlights an urgent need to clarify the characteristics and mechanisms linking aerosols and climate in different parts of the world, especially under rapidly changing environmental conditions.

This Special Issue aims to bring together recent advances in understanding aerosol–climate interactions, including but not limited to observational analyses, numerical modeling, satellite retrievals, and theoretical frameworks. We welcome contributions that explore the spatial–temporal variations, interaction, and feedback mechanisms of aerosol and climate, and their implications for climate prediction and environmental policy.

Dr. Dongyou Wu
Dr. Tiangang Yuan
Dr. Zhida Zhang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • aerosol
  • natural aerosol
  • climate
  • global warming
  • spatial–temporal variations
  • interaction mechanisms

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This special issue is now open for submission.
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