Dust Decline Amplifies High‐Cloud Ice‐to‐Liquid Transition and Buffers the Radiative Feedback Under Warming
Abstract
Abstract The response of the cloud phase to global warming is a critical yet poorly constrained component of Earth's climate sensitivity. While rising temperatures drive a thermodynamic transition from ice to liquid clouds, the role of ice‐nucleating particles in modulating this shift remains underexplored. Here, we provide evidence that the declining trend of mineral dust in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) may act as a microphysical amplifier of this transition. Satellite observations of high clouds (
Fields of Study & Subjects
Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
Atmospheric Ozone and Climate
Climate Change and Geoengineering
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Volume
- 53
- Issue
- 9
- Publication date
- 9 May 2026
- Language
- EN