Pitting corrosion of 7075 and LY12 aluminum alloys in Cl--containing atmosphere was investigated by utilizing the electrochemical noise (EN) analyses. Theoretical predictions based on equivalent circuit (EC) approach and experimental tests were compared to quantify atmospheric corrosion rate. The reliability of EN parameters (including noise resistance, spectral noise resistance) were further checked by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results. The localized corrosion rate can be successfully quantified by using noise resistance and spectral noise resistance, however impact of electrolyte resistance should be checked prior to EN measurement because it may lead to an error in calculating the corrosion rate. (C) The Author(s) 2019. Published by ECS.