Aims and scope

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP) publishes studies investigating Earth's atmosphere from the surface to the mesosphere, including the lower thermosphere.

Articles should have important and clearly argued implications for our understanding of the state and behaviour of the atmosphere and climate or present substantial new insights into the atmosphere's role in other parts of the Earth system.

Articles with a local focus must clearly explain how the results extend and compare with current knowledge.

Authors should consider whether their article fits better in other journals published by Copernicus Publications, such as Atmospheric Measurement Techniques or Geoscientific Model Development.

ACP publishes several manuscript types.

Subject areas

ACP covers five broad subject areas: gases, aerosols, clouds & precipitation, dynamics, and climate and Earth System. The journal subject areas are defined by the following index terms grouped into four categories. See editors handling each subject area.

Subject	Gases, Aerosols, Clouds and Precipitation, Dynamics, Climate and Earth System
Research Activity	Laboratory Studies, Field Measurements, Remote Sensing, Atmospheric Modelling and Data Analysis, Machine Learning
Altitude Range	Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere
Science Focus	Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions), Physics (physical properties and processes)

The typical scope of each subject area is defined below:

Gases. Atmospheric chemical processes and composition, chemical kinetics, radical chemistry, thermodynamics and mechanisms. Reactive trace and greenhouse gases, including budgets and trends, radiative effects, interactions with the biosphere, terrestrial and marine systems and effects on climate. Gas interactions with aerosol particles and clouds. Anthropogenic and natural emissions and developments of new or improved emission inventories where the effect on the atmosphere is demonstrated.
Aerosols. Aerosol properties, including microphysical properties, chemical composition and optical properties. Aerosol processes, including aerosol microphysics and chemistry. Aerosol effects on climate and the Earth system, including radiative forcing and effects on clouds and atmospheric dynamics. Emissions, including natural emission processes and developments of new or improved emission inventories where the effect on the atmosphere is demonstrated.
Clouds and precipitation. Cloud microphysics, including ice nucleation, cloud droplet formation and precipitation. Cloud chemistry, including aqueous phase reactions and the effects of clouds on atmospheric composition. Cloud dynamics, including cloud formation processes and the interaction of clouds with atmospheric dynamics. Aerosol-cloud interactions, including aerosol effects on cloud microphysics, precipitation and radiation. Cloud-climate interactions, including effects on radiative forcing and feedbacks.
Dynamics. Large-scale circulation of the troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere. Weather system dynamics, including the evolution and behaviour of cyclones and fronts. Mesoscale and boundary-layer dynamics. Interaction of dynamics with atmospheric constituents, including clouds, precipitation, aerosols and gases. Transport and dispersion of atmospheric constituents, including trace gases, aerosols and water vapour.
Climate and Earth system. Radiative forcing, energy balance, climate feedback processes and climate sensitivity. Atmospheric composition-climate interaction involving gases, aerosols and clouds. The atmospheric hydrological cycle, including water vapour transport and precipitation. Atmospheric variability, extremes and trends in the past, present and future. Climate modification (geoengineering) involving atmospheric processes. Interactions of the atmosphere and its constituents with the ocean, cryosphere and biosphere.