Articles | Volume 16, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-6595-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-6595-2016
Research article
 | 
31 May 2016
Research article |  | 31 May 2016

Limitations of passive remote sensing to constrain global cloud condensation nuclei

Philip Stier

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AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
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AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision
AR by Philip Stier on behalf of the Authors (02 May 2016)  Author's response    Manuscript
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (15 May 2016) by Graham Feingold
AR by Philip Stier on behalf of the Authors (18 May 2016)  Author's response    Manuscript
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Short summary
Cloud droplets form on suitable nuclei from aerosol emissions. Clouds with more droplets have higher reflectance so that aerosol emissions have a cooling climate effect. Numerous publications of these effects rely on passive satellite remote sensing. In this work I use a self consistent global aerosol model to show that a commonly used assumption (passively retrieved aerosol extinction is a suitable proxy for cloud condensation nuclei) is violated for a significant fraction of the Earth.
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