The polar regions are experiencing rapid and profound environmental changes, with the Arctic warming at nearly four times the global average. Aerosol-cloud interactions remain one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate models, particularly in these fragile and rapidly evolving environments. Mixed-phase clouds, biogeochemical processes in the ocean and sea ice, and atmospheric dynamics all contribute to complex feedbacks that modulate Earth's radiative balance, influence weather systems, and drive climate change.
This session, inspired by the goals of initiatives such as QuiESCENT (Quantifying the Indirect Effect: from Sources to Climate Effects of Natural and Transported aerosol in the Arctic), CATCH (Cryosphere and ATmospheric CHemistry), CIce2Clouds (Coupling of ocean-ice-atmosphere processes: from sea-Ice biogeochemistry to aerosols and Clouds), and BEPSII (Biogeochemical exchanges at Sea Ice Interfaces), aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration by bringing together researchers studying aerosols, clouds, ocean–ice biogeochemistry, and their coupled interactions in both the Arctic and Antarctic. We seek to bridge disciplinary gaps—spanning aerosols and clouds, physics and chemistry, observations and modeling, and ocean–ice–atmosphere processes—to advance our understanding of polar climate systems.
We invite contributions that address the following key topics:
- Aerosol-cloud interactions: Their influence on cloud microphysics, radiative properties, and precipitation patterns in polar environments, including the contrasting effects of anthropogenic pollution and natural aerosols.
- Biogeochemical cycling: Marine and terrestrial sources of aerosols, including sea salt, mineral dust, biological particles, black carbon, and organic aerosols, and their feedbacks with atmospheric components.
- Boundary layer dynamics: The role of atmospheric and oceanic boundary layer processes in shaping aerosol and cloud properties, as well as their impact on boundary layer mixing and local pollution processing.
- Observational and modeling advances: Innovations in field campaigns, remote sensing, laboratory experiments, and modeling frameworks to improve the representation of polar aerosol–cloud–ocean–ice systems in climate models.
- Climate feedbacks and projections: Implications of polar aerosol–cloud interactions for climate model performance and global climate predictions, with a focus on reducing uncertainties in projections.