The article "Recommendations for reporting 'black carbon' measurements" by A. Petzold et al. addresses the lack of standardized terminology and measurement methods for black carbon (BC), a key component in climate change and air quality research. The authors propose a consistent terminology to clarify the terms used for BC, aiming to establish unambiguous links between terms, material properties, and measurement techniques. They define BC formally as an ideally light-absorbing substance composed of carbon and provide operational definitions for related terms such as elemental carbon (EC), soot, equivalent black carbon (EBC), and refractory black carbon (rBC). The article reviews historical and current terminology, discusses the limitations of existing definitions, and recommends specific measurement methods for different properties of BC. The recommendations aim to improve the clarity and reliability of data reporting in atmospheric research, particularly in the context of climate change, air chemistry, and health effects studies.The article "Recommendations for reporting 'black carbon' measurements" by A. Petzold et al. addresses the lack of standardized terminology and measurement methods for black carbon (BC), a key component in climate change and air quality research. The authors propose a consistent terminology to clarify the terms used for BC, aiming to establish unambiguous links between terms, material properties, and measurement techniques. They define BC formally as an ideally light-absorbing substance composed of carbon and provide operational definitions for related terms such as elemental carbon (EC), soot, equivalent black carbon (EBC), and refractory black carbon (rBC). The article reviews historical and current terminology, discusses the limitations of existing definitions, and recommends specific measurement methods for different properties of BC. The recommendations aim to improve the clarity and reliability of data reporting in atmospheric research, particularly in the context of climate change, air chemistry, and health effects studies.