Aerosol and Meteorological Influences on Mixed‐Phase Stratiform Clouds at North Slope of Alaska

Abstract Uncertainty in estimates of Arctic Amplification is largely sensitive to the simulation of Arctic clouds in climate models. Mixed‐phase stratiform clouds are of particular interest due to their ubiquity in the Arctic. Here, we present a new long‐term data set composed of various observations specifically designed to identify cloud controlling factors of mixed‐phase cloud properties in the Arctic. We find that Arctic cloud properties are largely controlled by meteorological properties, whereby a warmer, drier, and more stable environment acts to decrease cloud fraction, water path, and median volume particle size. However, understanding the influence of changes in aerosols cannot be neglected and are essential in understanding the difference in the responses of liquid and ice water. We find that sulfur‐based aerosols primarily control liquid processes of clouds while carbon‐based aerosols primarily control ice processes of clouds.