Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP) is an international scientific journal dedicated to the publication and public discussion of high quality studies investigating the Earth's atmosphere and the underlying chemical and physical processes. It covers the altitude range from the land and ocean surface up to the turbopause, including the troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere.

The main subject areas comprise atmospheric modelling, field measurements, remote sensing, and laboratory studies of gases, aerosols, clouds and precipitation, isotopes, radiation, dynamics, biosphere interactions, and hydrosphere interactions (for details see Journal Subject Areas). The journal scope is focused on studies with general implications for atmospheric science rather than investigations that are primarily of local or technical interest. The manuscript types considered for peer-reviewed publication are research articles, review articles, technical notes and commentaries/replies.

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics has an innovative two-stage publication process involving the scientific discussion forum Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions (ACPD), which has been designed to: foster and provide a lasting record of scientific discussion; maximise the effectiveness and transparency of scientific quality assurance; enable rapid publication of new scientific results; make scientific publications freely accessible.

In the first stage, papers that pass a rapid access peer-review are immediately published on the Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions (ACPD) website. They are then subject to Interactive Public Discussion, during which the referees' comments (anonymous or attributed), additional short comments by other members of the scientific community (attributed) and the authors' replies are also published in ACPD. In the second stage, the peer-review process is completed and, if accepted, the final revised papers are published in ACP. To ensure publication precedence for authors, and to provide a lasting record of scientific discussion, ACPD and ACP are both ISSN-registered, permanently archived and fully citable.