Exploration of aerosol-precipitation relationships under different climate regimes in China

Aerosols influence cloud and precipitation formation through Aerosol-Radiation Interaction and Aerosol-Cloud Interaction, thereby influencing rainfall patterns. Our study analyzed the relationship between aerosols and precipitation in China by remote-sensing observations, focusing on both precipitat...

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Main Authors: Yuanyuan Xiao, Jun Zhang, Jingxuan Zhu, Qiang Dai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:GIScience & Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15481603.2025.2457992
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author Yuanyuan Xiao
Jun Zhang
Jingxuan Zhu
Qiang Dai
author_facet Yuanyuan Xiao
Jun Zhang
Jingxuan Zhu
Qiang Dai
author_sort Yuanyuan Xiao
collection DOAJ
description Aerosols influence cloud and precipitation formation through Aerosol-Radiation Interaction and Aerosol-Cloud Interaction, thereby influencing rainfall patterns. Our study analyzed the relationship between aerosols and precipitation in China by remote-sensing observations, focusing on both precipitation magnitude and microphysical characteristics. The aerosol data were obtained from the second Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2), the precipitation data were sourced from Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrieval for Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM-IMERG) and rainfall microphysical data were collected from the GPM Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (GPM-DPR). The total aerosol and five types of aerosols (two natural types and three anthropogenic types) were analyzed in relation to precipitation over the period 2015–2020. Aerosols were categorized into “clean” and “polluted” groups based on their concentrations. The spatial distribution of average rainfall for the clean and polluted groups was analyzed on three time scales (annual, summer, and winter). The results indicated that different types of aerosols present varying effects on rainfall, with natural aerosols exhibiting higher average rainfall in “clean” conditions, while anthropogenic aerosols demonstrate higher average rainfall in “polluted” conditions, especially in humid areas. Additionally, we observed that aerosol concentrations can modify rainfall microphysics, affecting the size and concentration of raindrops. By comparing Dm (the mass-weighted diameter of a raindrop) and Nw (the concentration parameter) under different aerosol conditions, it was found that Dm was significantly larger in summer than winter and in polluted than clean conditions. Nw exhibited slightly higher values in clean conditions. Overall, our findings suggest that enhanced aerosol concentrations intensify rainfall and modify rainfall microphysics, which may be useful in further investigating the principles of how aerosols affect precipitation.
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spelling doaj-art-11f2fa7798834e978066849c4c0a10ae2025-01-27T13:56:26ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGIScience & Remote Sensing1548-16031943-72262025-12-0162110.1080/15481603.2025.2457992Exploration of aerosol-precipitation relationships under different climate regimes in ChinaYuanyuan Xiao0Jun Zhang1Jingxuan Zhu2Qiang Dai3Key Laboratory of VGE of Ministry of Education, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, ChinaKey Laboratory of VGE of Ministry of Education, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, ChinaKey Laboratory of VGE of Ministry of Education, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, ChinaKey Laboratory of VGE of Ministry of Education, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, ChinaAerosols influence cloud and precipitation formation through Aerosol-Radiation Interaction and Aerosol-Cloud Interaction, thereby influencing rainfall patterns. Our study analyzed the relationship between aerosols and precipitation in China by remote-sensing observations, focusing on both precipitation magnitude and microphysical characteristics. The aerosol data were obtained from the second Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2), the precipitation data were sourced from Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrieval for Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM-IMERG) and rainfall microphysical data were collected from the GPM Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (GPM-DPR). The total aerosol and five types of aerosols (two natural types and three anthropogenic types) were analyzed in relation to precipitation over the period 2015–2020. Aerosols were categorized into “clean” and “polluted” groups based on their concentrations. The spatial distribution of average rainfall for the clean and polluted groups was analyzed on three time scales (annual, summer, and winter). The results indicated that different types of aerosols present varying effects on rainfall, with natural aerosols exhibiting higher average rainfall in “clean” conditions, while anthropogenic aerosols demonstrate higher average rainfall in “polluted” conditions, especially in humid areas. Additionally, we observed that aerosol concentrations can modify rainfall microphysics, affecting the size and concentration of raindrops. By comparing Dm (the mass-weighted diameter of a raindrop) and Nw (the concentration parameter) under different aerosol conditions, it was found that Dm was significantly larger in summer than winter and in polluted than clean conditions. Nw exhibited slightly higher values in clean conditions. Overall, our findings suggest that enhanced aerosol concentrations intensify rainfall and modify rainfall microphysics, which may be useful in further investigating the principles of how aerosols affect precipitation.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15481603.2025.2457992Anthropogenic aerosolsnatural aerosolsprecipitationrainfall microphysicsChina
spellingShingle Yuanyuan Xiao
Jun Zhang
Jingxuan Zhu
Qiang Dai
Exploration of aerosol-precipitation relationships under different climate regimes in China
GIScience & Remote Sensing
Anthropogenic aerosols
natural aerosols
precipitation
rainfall microphysics
China
title Exploration of aerosol-precipitation relationships under different climate regimes in China
title_full Exploration of aerosol-precipitation relationships under different climate regimes in China
title_fullStr Exploration of aerosol-precipitation relationships under different climate regimes in China
title_full_unstemmed Exploration of aerosol-precipitation relationships under different climate regimes in China
title_short Exploration of aerosol-precipitation relationships under different climate regimes in China
title_sort exploration of aerosol precipitation relationships under different climate regimes in china
topic Anthropogenic aerosols
natural aerosols
precipitation
rainfall microphysics
China
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15481603.2025.2457992
work_keys_str_mv AT yuanyuanxiao explorationofaerosolprecipitationrelationshipsunderdifferentclimateregimesinchina
AT junzhang explorationofaerosolprecipitationrelationshipsunderdifferentclimateregimesinchina
AT jingxuanzhu explorationofaerosolprecipitationrelationshipsunderdifferentclimateregimesinchina
AT qiangdai explorationofaerosolprecipitationrelationshipsunderdifferentclimateregimesinchina