NOAA: Maritime industry contributes to air pollution big time

NOAA research ship determines maritime shipping makes a hefty contribution to harmful air pollution
Credit: NOAA

Earlier today we learned of Charleston Port Authority’s moves to clean up their act with respect to the environment, and now we are getting feedback from earlier reported studies conducted by NOAA from their research ship Ronald H. Brown – two maritime air pollution stories in one day, go figure!

“Since more than 70% of shipping traffic takes place within 250 miles of the coastline, this is a significant health concern for coastal communities,” said study lead-author Daniel Lack, a researcher at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory.

One surprising result to the scientists was with regard to burning these low-sulfur fuels – something the SPA just bragged about using today: while total particle emissions diminish, the time the remaining particles spend in the air appears to increase. It’s while they’re airborne that particles pose a risk to human health and affect climate. So hopefully SPA is aware of that and is working on a fix for it on their end.

“Fortunately, engines burning ‘cleaner,’ low-sulfur fuels tend to require less complex lubricants. So the sulfur fuel regulations have the indirect effect of reducing the organic particles emitted,”
– Study co-author, James Corbett.

* UPDATE 3/30/09: U.S. Proposes to Slash Harmful Ship Emissions Along the Nation’s Coastlines to Save Lives