Perspectives on shipping emissions and their impacts on the surface ocean and lower atmosphere: An environmental-social-economic dimension
Review article, 2023
Shipping is the cornerstone of international trade and thus a critical economic sector. However, ships predominantly use fossil fuels for propulsion and electricity generation, which emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, and air pollutants such as particulate matter, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds. The availability of Automatic Information System (AIS) data has helped to improve the emission inventories of air pollutants from ship stacks. Recent laboratory, shipborne, satellite and modeling studies provided convincing evidence that ship-emitted air pollutants have significant impacts on atmospheric chemistry, clouds, and ocean biogeochemistry. The need to improve air quality to protect human health and to mitigate climate change has driven a series of regulations at international, national, and local levels, leading to rapid energy and technology transitions. This resulted in major changes in air emissions from shipping with implications on their environmental impacts, but observational studies remain limited. Growth in shipping in polar areas is expected to have distinct impacts on these pristine and sensitive environments. The transition to more sustainable shipping is also expected to cause further changes in fuels and technologies, and thus in air emissions. However, major uncertainties remain on how future shipping emissions may affect atmospheric composition, clouds, climate, and ocean biogeochemistry, under the rapidly changing policy (e.g., targeting decarbonization), socioeconomic, and climate contexts.
Climate
Shipping
Aerosol
Clouds
Decarbonization
Scrubber
Author
Zongbo Shi
University of Birmingham
Sonja Endres
Helmholtz
A. Rutgersson
Uppsala University
Shams Al-Hajjaji
University of Kiel
Selma Brynolf
Chalmers, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), Maritime Studies
Dennis Booge
Helmholtz
Ida-Maja Hassellöv
Chalmers, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), Maritime Studies
Christos Kontovas
Liverpool John Moores University
Rohan Kumar
Uppsala University
Huan Liu
Tsinghua University
Christa Marandino
Helmholtz
Volker Matthias
Helmholtz
Jana Moldanova
IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute
Kent Salo
Chalmers, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), Maritime Studies
Maxim Sebe
Aix Marseille University
École polytechnique
Wen Yi
Tsinghua University
Mingxi Yang
Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Chao Zhang
Ocean University of China
Elementa
2325-1026 (eISSN)
Vol. 11 1 00052Driving Forces
Sustainable development
Areas of Advance
Transport
Subject Categories
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences
Environmental Management
Environmental Sciences
Climate Research
DOI
10.1525/elementa.2023.00052