Publications

2026

1. Stochastic Cloud Fluctuations Drive Arctic Winter Radiative Bistability

   J. S. Lim and G. Feingold

   Science Advances, 2026

   In Arctic winter, the boundary layer occupies two preferred radiative states, a cold, clear state and a heat-trapping, cloudy state, that strongly regulate surface energy loss over sea ice. Yet, reanalyses and climate models are often biased toward a single intermediate state. Using a stochastic differential equation framework applied to 27 years of high-resolution observations, we show that the observed bistability is not sustained by multiple deterministic equilibria: The mean restoring tendency is effectively single-well, while background meteorology alone cannot explain rapid transitions. Instead, the two regimes are sustained by sharply localized, state-dependent noise in the transition range. This noise structure emerges when subhourly fluctuations in liquid water path are radiatively amplified by the nonlinear saturation of longwave emissivity. Our results provide a dynamical explanation for this model bias and identify unresolved fast cloud variability as a key source of uncertainty in Arctic winter climate projections.

   @article{lim2026bistability,
     title = {Stochastic Cloud Fluctuations Drive Arctic Winter Radiative Bistability},
     author = {Lim, Jung-Sub and Feingold, Graham},
     journal = {Science Advances},
     volume = {12},
     number = {40},
     pages = {eaeh3823},
     year = {2026},
     publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science},
     doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aeh3823},
     dimensions = {true},
   }

2. Inferring Processes Governing Cloud Transition During Mid-Latitude Marine Cold-Air Outbreaks from Satellite

   J. Zhang, D. Painemal, T. Dror, J. S. Lim, A. Sorooshian, and G. Feingold

   Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2026

   This study uses satellite observations to infer the processes governing cloud transition during mid-latitude marine cold-air outbreaks.

   @article{zhang2025cold,
     title = {Inferring Processes Governing Cloud Transition During Mid-Latitude Marine Cold-Air Outbreaks from Satellite},
     author = {Zhang, J. and Painemal, D. and Dror, T. and Lim, Jung-Sub and Sorooshian, A. and Feingold, Graham},
     journal = {Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics},
     volume = {26},
     pages = {6015--6034},
     year = {2026},
     publisher = {Copernicus Publications},
     doi = {10.5194/acp-26-6015-2026},
     dimensions = {true}
   }

3. Aging of Droplet Size Distribution in Stratocumulus Clouds: Regimes of Droplet Size Distribution Evolution

   J. S. Lim and F. Hoffmann

   Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2026

   This study investigates how droplet size distributions age in stratocumulus clouds, identifying distinct regimes of evolution from adiabatic growth to entrainment-dominated mixing.

   @article{lim2025aging,
     title = {Aging of Droplet Size Distribution in Stratocumulus Clouds: Regimes of Droplet Size Distribution Evolution},
     author = {Lim, Jung-Sub and Hoffmann, Fabian},
     journal = {Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics},
     volume = {26},
     pages = {5427--5446},
     year = {2026},
     publisher = {Copernicus Publications},
     doi = {10.5194/acp-26-5427-2026},
     dimensions = {true},
   }

2025

1. The Critical Number and Size of Precipitation Embryos to Accelerate Warm Rain Initiation

   J. S. Lim, Y. Noh, H. Lee, and F. Hoffmann

   Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2025

   Precipitation embryos, such as giant cloud condensation nuclei (GCCN), can accelerate warm rain initiation by bridging the size gap in the cloud droplet size distribution. This study investigates the critical number and size of precipitation embryos required to trigger early rain onset using a Lagrangian cloud model.

   @article{lim2025precipitation,
     title = {The Critical Number and Size of Precipitation Embryos to Accelerate Warm Rain Initiation},
     author = {Lim, Jung-Sub and Noh, Yign and Lee, Hyunho and Hoffmann, Fabian},
     journal = {Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics},
     volume = {25},
     number = {10},
     pages = {5313--5329},
     year = {2025},
     publisher = {Copernicus Publications},
     doi = {10.5194/acp-25-5313-2025},
     dimensions = {true},
   }

2024

1. Life Cycle Evolution of Mixing in Shallow Cumulus Clouds

   J. S. Lim and F. Hoffmann

   Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2024

   This study examines how entrainment and mixing evolve throughout the life cycle of shallow cumulus clouds using high-resolution Lagrangian cloud model simulations. We show that mixing transitions from more homogeneous to more inhomogeneous as clouds age.

   @article{lim2024lifecycle,
     title = {Life Cycle Evolution of Mixing in Shallow Cumulus Clouds},
     author = {Lim, Jung-Sub and Hoffmann, Fabian},
     journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres},
     volume = {129},
     number = {10},
     pages = {e2023JD040393},
     year = {2024},
     publisher = {Wiley Online Library},
     doi = {10.1029/2023JD040393},
     dimensions = {true},
   }

2023

1. Between Broadening and Narrowing: How Mixing Affects the Width of the Droplet Size Distribution

   J. S. Lim and F. Hoffmann

   Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2023

   Entrainment and mixing can either broaden or narrow the cloud droplet size distribution depending on the mixing scenario. This study uses Lagrangian cloud model simulations to identify the conditions that lead to each outcome.

   @article{lim2023broadening,
     title = {Between Broadening and Narrowing: How Mixing Affects the Width of the Droplet Size Distribution},
     author = {Lim, Jung-Sub and Hoffmann, Fabian},
     journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres},
     volume = {128},
     number = {8},
     pages = {e2022JD037900},
     year = {2023},
     publisher = {Wiley Online Library},
     doi = {10.1029/2022JD037900},
     dimensions = {true},
   }