Intensification of ice nucleation observed in ocean ship emissions

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 1111 - 9
• Main Authors: Thomson, E. S., Weber, D., Bingemer, H. G., Tuomi, J., Ebert, M., Pettersson, J. B. C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 18.01.2018; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 704/106/125; 704/106/35/824; 704/106/694/2739/2807; aerosol; Aerosols; Air pollution; Air quality; arctic stratus clouds; Atmospheric aerosols; Background levels; Chemical Sciences; Clouds; Emissions; Exploration; Humanities and Social Sciences; Ice nucleation; Kemi; mineral dust; mixed-phase clouds; multidisciplinary; Natural resources; nuclei; Outdoor air quality; particles; Plumes; Resource exploration; Science; Science & Technology - Other Topics; Science (multidisciplinary); Sea ice; soot; static diffusion chamber; summer
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19297-y

Shipping contributes primary and secondary emission products to the atmospheric aerosol burden that have implications for climate, clouds, and air quality from regional to global scales. In this study we exam the potential impact of ship emissions with regards to ice nucleating particles. Particles that nucleate ice are known to directly affect precipitation and cloud microphysical properties. We have collected and analyzed particles for their ice nucleating capacity from a shipping channel outside a large Scandinavia port. We observe that ship plumes amplify the background levels of ice nucleating particles and discuss the larger scale implications. The measured ice nucleating particles suggest that the observed amplification is most likely important in regions with low levels of background particles. The Arctic, which as the sea ice pack declines is opening to transit and natural resource exploration and exploitation at an ever increasing rate, is highlighted as such a region.