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Aerosol–cloud interactions in mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) are one of the most uncertain drivers of the hydrological cycle and climate change. A synergy of in situ, remote-sensing and modelling experiments were used to determine the source of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) for MPCs at Mount Helmos in the eastern Mediterranean. The influences of boundary layer turbulence, vertical aerosol distributions and meteorological conditions were also examined. When the observation site is in the free troposphere (FT), approximately 1 in ×106 aerosol particles serve as INPs around -25 °C. The INP abundance spans 3 orders of magnitude and increases in the following order: marine aerosols; continental aerosols; and, finally, dust plumes. Biological particles are important INPs observed in continental and marine aerosols, whereas they play a secondary, although important, role during Saharan dust events. Air masses in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) show both enriched INP concentrations and a higher proportion of INPs to total aerosol particles, compared with cases in the FT. The presence of precipitation/clouds enriches INPs in the FT but decreases INPs in the PBL. Additionally, new INP parameterizations are developed that incorporate the ratio of fluorescent-to-nonfluorescent or coarse-to-fine particles and predict >90 % of the observed INPs within an uncertainty range of a factor of 10; these new parameterizations exhibit better performance than current widely used parameterizations and allow ice formation in models to respond to variations in dust and biological particles. The improved parameterizations can help MPC formation simulations in regions with various INP sources or different regions with prevailing INP sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to understand the drivers of cloud droplet formation in orographic clouds. We used a combination of modeling, in situ, and remote sensing measurements at the high-altitude Helmos Hellenic Atmospheric Aerosol and Climate Change ((HAC) 2) station, which is located at the top of Mt. Helmos (1314 m above sea level), Greece, during the Cloud–AerosoL InteractionS in the Helmos Background TropOsphere (CALISHTO) campaign in fall 2021 (https://calishto.panacea-ri.gr/ , last access: 1 August 2024) to examine the origins of the aerosols (i.e., local aerosol from the planetary boundary layer (PBL) or long-range-transported aerosol from the free-tropospheric layer (FTL) contributing to the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN)), their characteristics (hygroscopicity, size distribution, and mixing state), and the vertical velocity distributions and resulting supersaturations. We found that the characteristics of the PBL aerosol were considerably different from FTL aerosol and use the aerosol particle number and equivalent mass concentration of the black carbon (eBC) in order to determine when (HAC) 2 was within the FTL or PBL based on time series of the height of the PBL. During the (HAC) 2 cloud events we sample a mixture of interstitial aerosol and droplet residues, which we characterize using a new approach that utilizes the in situ droplet measurements to determine time periods when the aerosol sample is purely interstitial. From the dataset we determine the properties (size distribution and hygroscopicity) of the pre-cloud, activated, and interstitial aerosol. The hygroscopicity of activated aerosol is found to be higher than that of the interstitial or pre-cloud aerosol. A series of closure studies with the droplet parameterization shows that cloud droplet concentration (Nd) and supersaturation can be predicted to within 25 % of observations when the aerosol size distributions correspond to pre-cloud conditions. The analysis of the characteristic supersaturation of each aerosol population indicates that droplet formation in clouds is aerosol-limited when formed in FTL air masses – hence droplet formation is driven by aerosol variations, while clouds formed in the PBL tend to be velocity-limited and droplet variations are driven by fluctuations in vertical velocity. Given that the cloud dynamics do not vary significantly between air masses, the variation in aerosol concentration and type is mostly responsible for these shifts in cloud microphysical state and sensitivity to aerosol. With these insights, the remote sensing of cloud droplets in such clouds can be used to infer either CCN spectra (when in the FTL) or vertical velocity (when in the PBL). In conclusion, we show that a coordinated measurement of aerosol and cloud properties, together with the novel analysis approaches presented here, allows for the determination of the drivers of droplet formation in orographic clouds and their sensitivity to aerosol and vertical velocity variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing has been a key resource for developing extensive and detailed datasets for studying and constraining aerosol-cloud-climate interactions. However, aerosol-cloud collocation challenges, algorithm limitations, as well as difficulties in unraveling dynamic from aerosol-related effects on cloud microphysics, have long challenged precise retrievals of cloud droplet number concentrations. By combining a series of remote sensing techniques and in situ measurements at ground level, we developed a semiautomated approach that can address several retrieval issues for a robust estimation of cloud droplet number for non-precipitating Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) clouds. The approach is based on satellite retrievals of the PBL cloud droplet number (Ndsat) using the geostationary meteorological satellite data of the Optimal Cloud Analysis (OCA) product, which is obtained by the Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) of the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). The parameters of the retrieval are optimized through closure with droplet number obtained from a combination of ground-based remote sensing data and in situ observations at ground level. More specifically, the remote sensing data are used to retrieve cloud-scale vertical velocity, and the in situ aerosol measurements at ground level were used constrain as input to a state-of-the-art droplet activation parameterization to predict the respective Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) spectra, cloud maximum supersaturation and droplet number concentration (Nd), accounting for the effects of vertical velocity distribution and lateral entrainment. Closure studies between collocated Nd and Nd sat are then used to evaluate exising droplet spectral width parameters used for the retrieval of droplet number, and determine the optimal values for retrieval. This methodology, used to study aerosol-cloud interactions for non-precipitating clouds formed over the Athens Metropolitan Area (AMA), Greece, during the springtime period from March to May 2020, shows that droplet closure can be achieved to within ±33.4%, comparable to the level of closure obtained in many in situ studies. Given this, the ease of applying this approach with satellite data obtained from SEVIRI with high temporal (15 min) and spatial resolution (3.6 km Ã--4.6 km), opens the possibility of continuous and reliable Ndsat, giving rise to high value datasets for aerosol-cloud-climate interaction studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cloud-AerosoL InteractionS in the Helmos background TropOsphere (CALISHTO) campaign took place in autumn 2021 at the NCSR Demokritos background high-altitude Helmos Hellenic Atmospheric Aerosol and Climate Change station (HAC) 2 to study the interactions between aerosols and clouds. The current study presents the chemical characterization of the non-refractory (NR) PM 1 aerosol fraction using a time-of-flight aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ToF-ACSM). A comparative offline aerosol filter analysis by a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) showed consistent results regarding the species determined. Source apportionment applied on both datasets (ACSM-ToF and offline AMS analysis on filter extracts) yielded the same factors for the organic aerosol (one primary and two secondary factors). Additionally, the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was applied on the total PM 1 fraction by the ToF-ACSM (including both organic and inorganic ions). Five different types were identified, including a primary organic factor; ammonium nitrate; ammonium sulfate; and two secondary organic aerosols, one more oxidized and one less oxidized. The prevailing atmospheric conditions at the station, i.e., cloud presence, influence of emissions from the planetary boundary layer (PBL), and air mass origin, were also incorporated in the study. The segregation between PBL and free-troposphere (FT) conditions was made by combining data from remote sensing and in situ measurement techniques. The types of air masses arriving at the site were grouped as continental, marine, dust, and marine–dust based on back-trajectory data. Significant temporal variability in the aerosol characteristics was observed throughout the campaign; in September, air masses from within the PBL were sampled most of the time, resulting in much higher mass concentrations compared to October and November when concentrations were reduced by a factor of 5. Both in-cloud and FT measurement periods resulted in much lower concentration levels, while a similar composition was observed in PBL and FT conditions. We take advantage of using a recently developed "virtual-filtering" technique to separate interstitial from activated aerosol sampled from a PM 10 inlet during cloudy periods. This allows the determination of the chemical composition of the interstitial aerosol during in-cloud periods. Ammonium sulfate, the dominant PMF factor in all conditions, contributed more when air masses were arriving at (HAC) 2 during dust events, while a higher secondary organic aerosol contribution was observed when air masses arrived from continental Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol-cloud interactions in mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) are one of the most uncertain drivers of the hydrological cycle and climate change. A synergy of in-situ, remote sensing and modelling experiments was used to determine the source of ice nucleating particles (INPs) for MPCs at Mount Helmos in the Eastern Mediterranean. The influences of boundary layer turbulence, vertical aerosol distributions and meteorological conditions were also examined. When the observation site is in the Free Troposphere (FT), approximately 1 in 106 aerosol particles serve as INPs. The INP abundance spans three orders of magnitude and increases following the order of marine aerosols, continental aerosols, and finally, dust plumes. Biological particles are important INPs observed in continental and marine aerosols, whereas they play a secondary yet important role even during Saharan dust events. Air masses in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) show both enriched INP concentrations and higher proportion of INPs in comparison to total aerosol particles, different from cases in the FT. The presence of precipitations/clouds enriches INPs in the FT but decreases INPs in the PBL. Additionally, new INP parameterizations, incorporating the ratio of fluorescent-to-nonfluorescent or coarse-to-fine particles and predicting >90% of the observed INPs within an uncertainty range of a factor of 10, exhibit better performance than current widely-used parameterizations, and allow ice formation in models to respond to variations in dust and biological particles. The improved parameterizations can help MPC formation simulations in regions with various INP sources or different regions with prevailing INP source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing measurements of aerosols using depolarization Raman Lidar systems from 4 EARLINET (European Aerosol research Lidar Network) stations are used for a comprehensive analysis of Saharan dust events over the Mediterranean basin in the period 2014-2017. In this period, we selected to study 51 dust events regarding the geometrical, optical and microphysical properties of dust particles, classifying them and assessing their radiative forcing effect on the atmosphere. From West to East, the stations of Granada, Potenza, Athens and Limassol were selected as representative Mediterranean cities regularly affected by Saharan dust intrusions. Emphasis was given on lidar measurements in the visible (532 nm) and specifically on the consistency of the particle linear depolarization ratio (dp532), the extinction-to-backscatter lidar ratio (LR532) and the Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT532) within the observed dust layers. We found mean dp532 values of 0.24 ± 0.05, 0.26 ± 0.06, 0.28 ± 0.05 and 0.28 ± 0.04, mean LR532 values of 52 ± 8 sr, 51 ± 9 sr, 52 ± 9 sr and 49 ± 6 sr, and mean AOT532 values of 0.40 ± 0.31, 0.11 ± 0.07, 0.12 ± 0.10 and 0.32 ± 0.17, for Granada, Potenza, Athens and Limassol, respectively. The mean layer thickness values were found to range from ~1700 to ~3400 m. Additionally, based also on a previous aerosol type classification scheme provided by airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) observations and on air mass backward trajectory analysis, a clustering analysis was performed in order to identify the major mixing aerosol types over the studied area. Furthermore, a synergy of lidar measurements and modeling was used to deeply analyze the solar and thermal radiative forcing of airborne dust. In total, a cooling behavior in the solar range and a significantly lower heating behavior in the thermal range was estimated. Depending on the dust optical and geometrical properties, the load intensity and the solar zenith angle (SZA), the estimated solar radiative forcing values range from -59 to -22 W m-2 at the surface and from -24 to -1 W m-2 at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). Similarly, in the thermal spectral range these values range from +2 to +4 W m-2 for the surface and from +1 to +3 W m-2 for the TOA. Finally, the radiative forcing seems to be inversely proportional to the dust mixing ratio, since higher absolute values are estimated for less mixed dust layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]