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Underestimated inhibition of cloud water by dust aerosols in the Yangtze River Delta.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Underestimated inhibition of cloud water by dust aerosols in the Yangtze River Delta.
Authors:	Xu, Tianshu¹ (AUTHOR), Yang, Yinshan¹ (AUTHOR), Zhao, Chuanfeng² (AUTHOR), Wang, Qiao¹ (AUTHOR), Jia, Kun¹ (AUTHOR), Wang, Yuying³ (AUTHOR), Tang, Yahui¹ (AUTHOR), Yan, Xing¹ (AUTHOR) yanxing@bnu.edu.cn
Source:	Atmospheric Environment. Nov2025, Vol. 360, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
Subjects:	Aerosols, Chemical properties, Atmospheric aerosols, Humidity, Pollutants, Climate change
Geographic Terms:	Yangtze River Delta (China)
Abstract:	Dust aerosols are transported over long distances before reaching the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), where they mix with local pollutants, resulting in unique physicochemical properties, such as a high aging degree. An analysis of the annual trend of dust events in the YRD reveals an increasing impact of dust aerosols in the region. This study investigates the effect of dust aerosols on cloud liquid water content (CLWC) in the YRD. During dust events, CLWC exhibits a significant decline, decreasing by approximately 42.3 % compared to background levels. To further assess this impact, both the Fixed Effects (FE) model and the Structural Equation Model (SEM) are employed, confirming the substantial inhibitory effect of dust aerosols on CLWC. The FE model estimates that dust aerosols contribute to a 25.37 % reduction in CLWC. Moreover, model results suggest that relying solely on aerosol optical depth (AOD) data, without considering coarse-mode aerosol optical depth (CAOD), may obscure the pronounced influence of dust aerosols. The SEM results further reveal that the fitting coefficients between AOD and CAOD can differ by up to 50 %, highlighting the potential underestimation of the inhibitory effects of dust aerosols. This study underscores the necessity of incorporating particle size information in aerosol-climate effect research to improve the accuracy of assessments. • Dust aerosol intensity, not frequency, increased in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). • Long-range transported dust aerosols notably inhibit cloud water in the YRD. • Ignoring aerosol size data leads to significant underestimation (∼50 %) of impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Engineering Source

Description
Abstract:	Dust aerosols are transported over long distances before reaching the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), where they mix with local pollutants, resulting in unique physicochemical properties, such as a high aging degree. An analysis of the annual trend of dust events in the YRD reveals an increasing impact of dust aerosols in the region. This study investigates the effect of dust aerosols on cloud liquid water content (CLWC) in the YRD. During dust events, CLWC exhibits a significant decline, decreasing by approximately 42.3 % compared to background levels. To further assess this impact, both the Fixed Effects (FE) model and the Structural Equation Model (SEM) are employed, confirming the substantial inhibitory effect of dust aerosols on CLWC. The FE model estimates that dust aerosols contribute to a 25.37 % reduction in CLWC. Moreover, model results suggest that relying solely on aerosol optical depth (AOD) data, without considering coarse-mode aerosol optical depth (CAOD), may obscure the pronounced influence of dust aerosols. The SEM results further reveal that the fitting coefficients between AOD and CAOD can differ by up to 50 %, highlighting the potential underestimation of the inhibitory effects of dust aerosols. This study underscores the necessity of incorporating particle size information in aerosol-climate effect research to improve the accuracy of assessments. • Dust aerosol intensity, not frequency, increased in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). • Long-range transported dust aerosols notably inhibit cloud water in the YRD. • Ignoring aerosol size data leads to significant underestimation (∼50 %) of impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	13522310
DOI:	10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121406