Satellite-based analysis indicates that the relative change in cloud droplet number concentration with relative change in aerosol concentration is sublinear, contrary to common assumptions. The revised nonlinear method predicts that in heavily polluted regions the additional warming due to improvements in air quality will occur two to three decades later than predicted by the linear method.
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This is a summary of: Jia, H. & Quaas, J. Nonlinearity of the cloud response postpones climate penalty of mitigating air pollution in polluted regions. Nat. Clim. Change https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01775-5 (2023).
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A nonlinear cloud response delays the warming effect of aerosol reductions. Nat. Clim. Chang. 13, 901–902 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01783-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01783-5
