Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (atmospheric-chemistry-and-physics)

Journal positioning

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics is a European Geosciences Union (EGU) journal published by Copernicus, and it is a leading venue for research on the Earth's atmosphere — its composition, chemistry, aerosols, clouds, dynamics, and the physical processes that govern them. Its defining character is open access combined with interactive public peer review: manuscripts are first posted as discussion papers (ACPD) and undergo open, citable, public commentary alongside designated referees before final acceptance. The journal rewards rigorous, well-documented atmospheric science with clear methodological transparency, and the open-review model places a premium on completeness, reproducibility, and the ability to withstand public scrutiny. It values full-length, thorough treatments rather than short rapid communications. Readership is the international atmospheric-science community. This skill is a fit / venue-selection / re-framing tool. It does not replace the journal's current official submission guidelines. Before submitting, re-check the live author instructions on the ACP/EGU/Copernicus site.

When to trigger

• The author names ACP as the target venue for a thorough atmospheric-composition, aerosol, cloud, chemistry, or dynamics study.
• A manuscript is rigorous and complete enough to withstand open public peer review, and the author values open access and the interactive ACPD model.
• A paper needs full-length space to document methods, data, and analysis thoroughly rather than a short rapid communication.
• The author needs ACP's interactive-review expectations, scope boundaries, and desk-reject criteria before submission.

Scope & topic fit

• Atmospheric composition and chemistry: gas-phase and multiphase chemistry, trace gases, oxidants, and chemical mechanisms in the troposphere and stratosphere.
• Aerosols: sources, formation, microphysics, optical and chemical properties, and aerosol-radiation interactions.
• Clouds and aerosol-cloud interactions: microphysics, cloud processes, and their role in the climate system.
• Atmospheric dynamics and transport: circulation, mixing, boundary-layer processes, and their coupling to composition.
• Measurement and remote-sensing studies of atmospheric composition, including instrument-based field and laboratory campaigns.
• Modeling studies — process, regional, and global — of atmospheric chemistry, aerosols, clouds, and dynamics with rigorous evaluation.

Method & evidence bar

• The contribution must be rigorous and complete; because review is public, methods, data, and analysis must be documented thoroughly enough to withstand open scrutiny.
• Measurement studies need full instrument characterization, calibration, uncertainty quantification, and treatment of artifacts and biases.
• Modeling studies need clear configuration, evaluation against observations, sensitivity analyses, and honest discussion of structural uncertainty.
• Laboratory studies need reproducible conditions, error analysis, and clear linkage to atmospheric relevance.
• Data and code must be deposited in a FAIR-compliant repository with persistent identifiers, consistent with Copernicus open-data policy; availability statements are mandatory.
• Statistical claims about trends, correlations, or differences must account for atmospheric variability and autocorrelation.

Structure & house style

• ACP uses a full-length IMRaD format suited to thorough documentation; re-check current length and figure conventions on the live site.
• The manuscript is first published as an ACPD discussion paper and undergoes interactive public review; authors must be prepared to respond to public comments and designated referees in the open.
• The introduction situates the work in the atmospheric-science literature and states the scientific question; methods are detailed and reproducible.
• Figures and tables must be efficient and publication-quality; supplementary material carries extended data, additional analyses, and instrument details.
• The abstract is unstructured and must convey the question, approach, and key findings.
• Copernicus formatting, reference style, and code/data availability sections must be followed.

Official-submission checklist

• Before giving submission-ready advice, read ../../resources/source-basis.md and ../../resources/official-source-map.md; start from the official source anchors for this journal family, then cite the current journal-specific page you checked.
• Search the live site for "Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics submission guidelines" and follow the current EGU/Copernicus version.
• Re-check the interactive public peer-review (ACPD) process and the obligations it places on authors during open discussion.
• Re-check current length and figure conventions, Copernicus manuscript-preparation requirements, and supplementary-material conventions.
• Re-check the FAIR data and code availability policy and accepted repositories; confirm article-processing-charge (APC) and open-access licensing terms, competing-interests, funding, and AI-use disclosure.
• If the live official instructions conflict with this skill, the official instructions win.

Pre-submission self-check

• One sentence — the atmospheric-science question answered and why the result matters.
• The manuscript is complete and rigorous enough to withstand open public peer review in ACPD.
• Measurements have full characterization, calibration, and uncertainty; models are evaluated against observations with sensitivity analysis.
• Methods and data are documented thoroughly enough for reproducibility under public scrutiny.
• Data and code are deposited in a FAIR repository with persistent identifiers; availability statements are ready.
• APC, open-access licensing, and Copernicus formatting requirements are understood and prepared.

Common desk-reject triggers

• A study outside atmospheric composition, aerosols, clouds, chemistry, or dynamics, or a regional case without broader process insight.
• An incomplete or insufficiently documented manuscript that could not withstand open public review.
• Measurement work lacking instrument characterization, calibration, or uncertainty quantification.
• Modeling work without evaluation against observations or treatment of structural uncertainty.
• A missing or non-compliant FAIR data/code availability statement, or failure to meet Copernicus open-access and formatting requirements.

Re-routing decision

• A short, high-impact atmospheric finding that does not need full-length documentation: geophysical-research-letters.
• A full-length atmospheric study better matched to the AGU community: journal-of-geophysical-research-atmospheres.
• A higher-impact, broader-reach atmospheric or climate result with cross-disciplinary significance: nature-geoscience.
• An authoritative invited review of an atmospheric topic rather than primary research: reviews-of-geophysics.

Output format

[Fit] High / Medium / Low (one-line reason)
[Target] Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
[Topic tags] <2–3 closest topics>
[Method/evidence] <is the study rigorous, complete, and well-documented enough to withstand open public peer review, with full characterization and uncertainty?>
[Top risk] <the single most likely reason for rejection>
[Official items to re-check] <interactive ACPD review process / length & Copernicus formatting / FAIR data-code deposition / APC & open-access licensing / disclosure>
[Re-route suggestion] <if not a fit, a better-matched venue>