How and to what extent the aerosols can affect regional weather systems and global circulation patterns remains an open question. Answering the above question requires comprehensive understanding of the direct, indirect and semi-direct radiative effects of aerosols in order to accurately model the energy budget of the atmosphere and surface. The aerosol-induced changes to the energy budget are manifest in cloud processes and the thermal structure of the atmosphere, and consequently the circulation. The aerosol-modified circulation, in turn, alters the aerosol transport by the mean and eddy portions of the flow. Examples of aerosol-modified circulations include, but are not limited to, the African easterly jet–African easterly wave system, the African monsoon, tropical cyclones, mesoscale convective complexes and springtime cyclones.