Resolving the roles of soot and dust in cirrus cloud ice formation at regional and global scales: insights from parcel and climate modeling
Abstract
Atmospheric aerosols can serve as ice-nucleating particles (INPs), influencing cirrus cloud formation and properties. While mineral dust is recognized as an effective INP, the role of soot remains less explored, limiting climate impact assessments. Here we use cloud parcel model simulations to examine the competitive ice nucleation behavior of soot and dust, alongside homogeneous nucleation. These process-level simulations reveal that dust dominates heterogeneous ice nucleation at colder temperatures ( T
Fields of Study & Subjects
Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
Atmospheric Ozone and Climate
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Atmospheric chemistry and physics
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 95–115
- Publication date
- 5 January 2026
- Language
- EN