The observed strong link between aerosol optical depth () and cloud top pressure () has frequently been interpreted as the invigoration of convective clouds by aerosol, with increased being strongly correlated with decreases in (increases in cloud top height). A strong correlation between and cloud fraction () has also been observed. Using satellite-retrieved data, here we show that is also strongly correlated to , and when combined with the strong sensitivity between and , a large proportion of the relationship between and can be reconstructed. Given the uncertainties about the influence of aerosol-cloud interactions on the - relationship, this suggests that a large fraction of the - correlation may not be due to aerosol effects. Influences such as aerosol humidification and meteorology play an important role and should therefore be considered in studies of aerosol-cloud interactions.
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