Convective systems are the primary drivers of rainfall and climate on Earth, yet the spatial organisation of associated convection remains poorly understood. This study presents a simple approach to describing this organisation. First, the convective field is decomposed into elementary structures. Then, four scores are computed to describe the size, density, spacing scale and departure from randomness of the cores. This method robustly characterises the organisation of convection.

This article presents the evolution of aerosol optical properties as derived from a Raman lidar in relation to relative humidity over the Paris area. It examines the influence of aerosol chemical compounds linked to air mass origins, as well as their relationship with the efficiency of aerosol growth. Such a study provides a better understanding of the interactions between aerosols and water vapour, which is important for reducing the uncertainties surrounding the Earth's radiative balance.

Several techniques retrieve of the aerosol size distribution. The Generalized Retrieval of Atmosphere and Surface Properties algorithm can retrieve aerosol size distribution parameters using only aerosol optical depth (AOD) as input that is continuously observed by sun photometers worldwide. In this study, we apply the algorithm to AOD measured by sun photometers and spectroradiometers to assess the performance and limitations of such retrievals and investigate the effect of the spectral range.