The Roles of Aerosols in Climate Changes Via Altering the Energy and Water Cycles Showcases in China

Aerosol have been known to affect earth’s climate via altering the energy and water cycles due to its interactions with radiation and cloud processes, but such interactions are so complicated that singling out and quantifying their impacts have been extremely difficult challenging and thus fraught with large uncertainties. However, the heavy loading, a large variety of types, and drastic changes of aerosols in China pose unique opportunities to help gain much further in the roles of aerosol in the earth’s climate and its changes. To date, mounting evidence have emerged to help untangle and even quantify the roles of aerosol in the changes of temperature, precipitation and severe storms via altering radiation, cloud physics and atmosphere thermodynamics, etc. By means of field experiments, satellite remote sensing and modeling, our team has tackled with the complex problems in a systematic approach. I will present a few major findings to highlight the importance of accounting for aerosol in studying climate changes.