Analysis of the uncertainty of the AIS-based bottom-up approach for estimating ship emissions

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 199; p. 115968
• Main Authors: Chen, Xiaoyan, Yang, Jiaxuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2024
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; AIS; Bottom-up; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Reproducibility of Results; Ship emissions; Ships; Uncertainty; Uncertainty analysis; Vehicle Emissions - analysis; AIS; Ship emissions; Uncertainty analysis; Bottom-up
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115968

Although the AIS-based bottom-up approach has become the dominant method for estimating ship emissions, there are still inherent uncertainties due to the numerous complex factors involved. This paper aims to investigate the development process of the AIS-based bottom-up approach and identify the primary sources of uncertainty by conducting a systematic review of 29 articles published since 2015. The result shows three sources of uncertainty for estimating ship emissions, i.e., the acquisition and processing of AIS data, ship characteristic information and engine load calculation, and the determination of emission factors. This paper suggests that the accuracy of ship emission inventories can be improved by enhancing the reliability of datasets, uniformly defining engine load calculation formulas, and making more extensive measurements of local emissions to provide substantial support for ship emissions management and facilitate the development of more effective emission reduction strategies. •A comprehensive review of the AIS-based Bottom-up Approach•The detailed development process was presented.•29 articles were selected and analyzed from 259 articles.•The sources of uncertainty of the AIS-based Bottom-up Approach were presented.