Arctic shipping could speed global warming
Growing ship traffic in the Arctic Ocean could accelerate global warming, according to an announcement of a new research study.
In addition to greenhouse gases, diesel engines in ships emit particulate matter, which includes black carbon.
'One of the most potent ‘short-lived climate forcers’ in diesel emissions is black carbon, or soot,' said lead author James J. Corbett, professor of marine science and policy the University of Delaware. 'Ships operating in or near the Arctic use advanced diesel engines that release black carbon into one of the most sensitive regions for climate change.'
The black carbon has “a positive climate-forcing effect since it absorbs sunlight,” the research study said. “This effect is likely greater in the Arctic region and other snow- and ice-covered regions, because atmospheric black carbon layers absorb radiation both from incident sunlight and sunlight reflected from the surface.”
The paper, Arctic Shipping Emissions Inventories and Future Scenarios, (https://www.atmos-chem-phys.org/10/9689/2010/acp-10-9689-2010.pdf) is published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.
Arctic shipping could speed global warming
