Sensitive Regimes and Active Regions of Aerosol Indirect Effect for the Ice Clouds over the Global Oceans

Cloud microphysical structures and properties provide a critical link between the energy and hydrological cycles of Earth’s climate system. Atmospheric aerosol is the major source of cloud condensation nuclei (CNN) and ice nuclei (IN) that are critical for the formation of cloud microphysical structures and properties. Aerosol changes due to anthropogenic emissions will result in the modification of CCN/IN and cloud microphysical properties and eventually cause the changes of Earth’s climate. In this study, we will investigate the effect of aerosol on the cloud microphysical properties of marine ice cloud by using more than 30-years climate data records (CDRs) of aerosols and clouds derived from NOAA operational AVHRR satellite observations. The objective is to identity the aerosol indirect effect (AIE) signatures contained in the long-term satellite observation. Our study focuses on identifying the regimes and regions that the first and second AIE may clearly manifest in a sense of long-term average over the global oceans.