Zhao et al. (2026) Climatic Effects of Ice Nucleation by Typical Natural and Anthropogenic Aerosols in East Asia Using a Developed Version of RegCM‐Chem

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-03-31
• Authors: Runqi Zhao, Yaxin Hu, Bingliang Zhuang, Yinan Zhou, Peng Gao, Jiaxu Chen, Junren Chen, Ruiyi Shen, Heng Cao, Tijian Wang, Shu Li, Min Xie, Mengmeng Li
• DOI: 10.1029/2025jd046006

Research Groups

Not explicitly specified in the abstract.

Short Summary

This study integrates an ice-nucleation parameterization into the RegCM-Chem model to investigate the regional climatic impacts of natural (dust) and anthropogenic (carbonaceous, sulfate) aerosols on ice clouds over East Asia. The research finds that aerosol ice nucleation leads to a radiative heating effect, predominantly driven by dust, which significantly alters regional temperature and precipitation patterns.

Objective

• To introduce an ice-nucleation parameterization into the Regional Climate and Chemistry Model (RegCM-Chem) to investigate the climatic effects of ice nucleation by typical natural (dust) and anthropogenic (carbonaceous and sulfate) aerosols over East Asia.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional scale, focusing on East Asia, with specific mentions of inland China, Indochina Peninsula, eastern India, northeastern China, and southern China.
• Temporal Scale: Not explicitly defined, but results (e.g., 0.17 K, -0.28 mm·day⁻¹) imply a long-term average or specific period of simulation.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Regional Climate and Chemistry Model (RegCM-Chem), with an introduced ice-nucleation parameterization.
• Data sources: Not specified in the abstract, but model results are discussed.

Main Results

• Aerosol ice nucleation exerts a radiative heating effect over East Asia.
• The longwave effect of ice clouds is dominant over the shortwave effect.
• Dust is the dominant aerosol contributing to the ice cloud effect, accounting for approximately 70% of the total warming.
• Dust-induced nucleation leads to:
  • Widespread surface warming of 0.17 K.
  • Generation of cyclonic anomalies.
  • Reduced precipitation over inland China (−0.28 mm·day⁻¹).
  • Increased precipitation over the Indochina Peninsula (0.34 mm·day⁻¹) and eastern India (0.17 mm·day⁻¹).
• Ice nucleation by typical anthropogenic aerosols might result in:
  • Cyclonic anomalies over northeastern China and anticyclonic anomalies over southern China.
  • Suppressed low-level cloud formation (−0.61%) and precipitation (−0.13 mm·day⁻¹) over southern China.
  • Enhanced low-level cloud formation (0.46%) and precipitation (0.08 mm·day⁻¹) over northeastern China.
• The ice cloud effect of anthropogenic aerosols primarily arises from the impact of low-level clouds on the radiative budget, accompanied by an inverse temperature response to changes in low-level cloud cover.

Contributions

• Introduction of an ice-nucleation parameterization into the RegCM-Chem model, addressing a critical gap in regional climate modeling for East Asia.
• Quantification of the distinct climatic effects of natural (dust) and anthropogenic (carbonaceous, sulfate) aerosols on ice clouds at a regional scale.
• Detailed analysis of the regional atmospheric circulation, temperature, and precipitation responses to aerosol-ice cloud interactions, highlighting the dominant role of dust and the complex impacts of anthropogenic aerosols.

Funding

Not specified in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Zhao2026Climatic,
  author = {Zhao, Runqi and Hu, Yaxin and Zhuang, Bingliang and Zhou, Yinan and Gao, Peng and Chen, Jiaxu and Chen, Junren and Shen, Ruiyi and Cao, Heng and Wang, Tijian and Li, Shu and Xie, Min and Li, Mengmeng},
  title = {Climatic Effects of Ice Nucleation by Typical Natural and Anthropogenic Aerosols in East Asia Using a Developed Version of RegCM‐Chem},
  journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2025jd046006},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2025jd046006}
}