Zhang and Wang used data from the National Centers for Environmental Protection and other test models to simulate cyclone systems under different pollution scenarios. The simulations were run on a supercomputer, which produced data showing an increase in precipitation by 7 percent and a decrease in temperatures by 9 percent.

While the data only reflects atmospheric changes in the northwest Pacific, Wang said by running more simulations, he and other researchers from Texas A&M will be able to better understand the global effects of Asia's pollution.

"Since the Pacific storm is an important component of the global general circulation, the modulated storm intensity by Asian pollution may affect the weather conditions in the other area of the world," Wang wrote. "Our next goal is to quantify the global impact of the Asian pollution on the weather conditions over the Pacific storm downstream like North America and even Polar region."

Wang blamed China's industrial boom over the past 30 years for the rise in pollution. The chief culprits, he said, are factories, industrial plants and power plants. Those, coupled with an increase in automotive exhaust and the use of coal to heat homes, has lead the country to produce some of the most hazardous air pollution in the world.