Chen S.-LChang S.-WChen Y.-JHSUEN-LI CHEN2022-11-162022-11-16202126624435https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85130470077&doi=10.1038%2fs43247-021-00278-5&partnerID=40&md5=65d9cd0e86d9c3bdd201880ea85cbb5ehttps://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/625369Particulate matter emitted through human activities not only pollutes the air, but also cools the Earth by scattering shortwave solar radiation. However, coarser dust particles have been found to exert a warming effect that could, to some extent compensate for the cooling effect of fine dust. Here we investigate the radiative effects of sulfate containing aerosols of various sizes and core/shell structures using Mie scattering and three-dimensional finite difference time domain simulations of the electromagnetic fields inside and around particulate matter particles. We find that not only coarse dust, but also fine non-light-absorbing inorganic aerosols such as sulfate can have a warming effect. Specifically, although the opacity of fine particles decreases at longer wavelengths, they can strongly absorb and re-emit thermal radiation under resonance conditions at long wavelength. We suggest that these effects need to be taken into account when assessing the contribution of aerosols to climate change. © 2021, The Author(s).journal article10.1038/s43247-021-00278-52-s2.0-85130470077