<p>Aerosol-planetary boundary layer (PBL) interaction was proposed as an important mechanism to stabilize atmosphere and exacerbate surface air pollution. Despite the tremendous progress made in understanding this process, its magnitude and significance still bear large uncertainties and vary largely with aerosol distribution and meteorological conditions. In this study, we particularly focus on the role of aerosol vertical distribution on thermodynamic stability and PBL development by jointly using the micropulse lidar, sun-photometer, and radiosonde measurements over Beijing. Despite complex aerosol vertical distributions, the cloud-free aerosol structures can be classified into three types: well-mixed, decreasing with height, and the inversed. Under these different aerosol vertical structures, the aerosol-PBL relationships and the diurnal cycles of the PBLH and PM<sub>2.5</sub> show distinct characters. The vertical distribution of aerosol radiative forcing differs drastically with strong heating in the lower, mid, and upper PBL respectively. Such a discrepancy in heating rate affects the atmospheric buoyancy and stability differently in the three distinct aerosol structures. Absorbing aerosol have a weak effect of stabilizing the low-atmosphere under the decreasing structure than under the inverse structure. As a result, the aerosol–PBL interaction can be strengthened by the inverse aerosol structure and can be potentially neutralized by the decreasing structure. Moreover, aerosols can both enhance and suppress the PBL stability, leading to both positive and negative feedback loops. This study attempts to improve our understanding of aerosol–PBL interaction, which shows the importance of the observation constraint of aerosol vertical distribution for simulating the interaction and consequent feedbacks.</p>