Includes bibliographies and index.

Absorbing aerosols are among the most significant climatic agents whose role in modulating
Earth’s climate is still poorly understood. They absorb light, thereby reducing the surface- reaching solar radiation and heat their surroundings, resulting in modulation of atmospheric

temperature and moisture profile. Thus these particles affect the micro and macrophysical
properties of the cloud without participating in droplet formation. However, as particles spend
more time in the atmosphere and interact with the other particles and gases, they may attain
higher hygroscopicity. In consequence, they possess a range of hygroscopicity and also directly
modulate the ambient environment. Hence contrary to scattering counterpart, absorbing aerosols
show more complex interactions with clouds, thereby exacerbating the uncertainty in estimating
radiative forcing associated with aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI). This dissertation investigates
some aspects of absorbing (with a specific focus on mineral dust) aerosols and warm-cloud
interactions using satellite observations, reanalysis data, and state-of-the-art numerical models.