2008 News & Events

CSD scientist Daniel Lack and colleagues at CSD published a paper today that gives the first broad look at the emissions of soot from oceanic vessels. The study found that tugboats put out more soot for the amount of fuel used than other commercial vessels, and large cargo ships emit more than twice as much soot as previously estimated. The paper is published in the July 11 issue of Geophysical Research Letters.

Background: A new instrument developed at ESRL CSD, called a photoacoustic spectrometer, enabled the authors to capture a wealth of ship data in open ocean waters, channels, and ports along the southeast United States and Texas during the summer of 2006 Texas Air Quality Study. From the NOAA research vessel Ronald H. Brown, they measured black carbon emitted by tankers, cargo and container ships, large fishing boats, tug boats, and ferries, many of them in the Houston Ship Channel.

Significance: Commercial shipping releases roughly 130 thousand metric tons of soot per year, or 1.7% of the global total, much of it near highly populated coastlines, the authors estimate. Global shipping is expected to grow two to six percent annually in the coming years, and may expand in climate-sensitive areas such as the Arctic. Soot is both a health hazard and a climate-warming agent. This research contributes to the Climate Research and Modeling Program of NOAA's Climate Goal and the Air Quality Program of NOAA's Weather and Water Goal.