ABSTRACT Over land, the typical atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) depth ranges from 1000 to 2000 m. However, the Taklimakan Desert (TD) exhibits an exceptionally deep ABL that can extend vertically to altitudes between 4000 and 6000 m. While dust aerosol radiative forcing is known to influence the ABL, vertical observational evidence of this interaction has remained limited. By conducting the first observational particle‐sounding experiment over the TD in May 2022, we observed that during daytime, dust aerosols absorb solar shortwave radiation, generating a heating effect that leads to the formation of a deep capping inversion layer (∼1000 m thick, CIL) at the top of the dust layer. The CIL restrained the convective boundary layer (CBL) height to 1000–2000 m and strongly suppressed vertical transport of dust aerosols. At night, dust aerosols released longwave radiation that cooled the atmosphere and heated the surface, promoting the development of a deep stable boundary layer (SBL). Radiative transfer simulations demonstrate that these dust‐induced radiative effects are the key mechanism driving the observed changes in ABL structure. The study provides vertical observational evidence and mechanistic insights into the impact of dust aerosols on the deep ABL structure, offering a scientific basis for improving weather and climate models and improving the accuracy of dust forecasts.
Meng et al. (2026) studied this question.