A study on the impact of clean fuel application on the radiative effects of shipping sulfate aerosols

doi:10.13745/j.esf.sf.2025.3.20

Abstract

Abstract:

Ship-emitted SO₂ form sulfate aerosols (PSO₄) in the marine atmosphere, which have significant impacts on climate, primarily through direct radiative effects (DRE) and indirect radiative effects (IRE), leading to a net cooling effect on the Earth system. This study, using an Earth system model and a global ship emissions inventory, investigates the changes in shipping PSO₄ and its radiative effects under the current global 0.5% sulfur content regulation (0.5% S), as well as a scenario in which the 0.1% sulfur content regulation in certain controlled zones is extended globally (0.1% S). The results show that under the 0.5% S control, the global average burden of shipping PSO₄ is 58.2±6.5 μg·m^-2, producing a DRE of -10.4±1.6 mW·m^-2. The indirect effect is the dominant part of the radiative effect, with the IRE of shipping PSO₄ under the 0.5% S control being approximately -64.7±40.5 mW·m^-2. The average burden of shipping PSO₄ on shipping routes is about 200 μg·m^-2, and the radiative effect is about 600 mW·m^-2. Compared to the current 0.5% S regulation, in the 0.1% S scenario, the concentration of shipping PSO₄ decreases by about 80%. Regarding radiative effects, the DRE decreases to -2.1±0.4 mW·m^-2, and the IRE decreases to -15.2±11.2 mW·m^-2, resulting in a 77% reduction in total radiative effects. The spatial and temporal distribution of shipping PSO₄ radiative effects is highly uneven. Globally, the highest values are concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere, especially along the shipping routes in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and the coastal areas of the North Indian Ocean, where total radiative effects can reach up to approximately -350 mW·m^-2. The strongest radiative effects in both hemispheres occur during their respective summer seasons. On a global average, the total radiative effect of shipping PSO₄ is strongest in summer (-34.9 mW·m^-2), with some areas approaching -1200 mW·m^-2; it is weakest in winter, being less than a quarter of the summer value. The global use of cleaner ship fuels will significantly reduce the cooling radiative effects of shipping PSO₄, while also reducing air pollution

Key words: ship emissions, sulfates aerosol, radiative effect, low-sulfur fuel, earth system mode

CLC Number:

SUN Yiyang, ZHANG Bei, ZHAO Xi, ZHU Jialei. A study on the impact of clean fuel application on the radiative effects of shipping sulfate aerosols[J]. Earth Science Frontiers, 2025, 32(3): 263-273.

Figures/Tables 10

Table 1 Experimental setup of this study

试验编号	试验描述
Exp.1	不包含船舶SO₂及一次PSO₄排放(控制实验)
Exp.2	船舶源SO₂及一次PSO₄排放量设置为原排放清单排放量的28.7%(0.5% S)
Exp.3	船舶源SO₂及一次PSO₄排放量设置为原排放清单排放量的5.7%(0.1% S)

Fig.1 Surface concentration (a) and column concentration (b) of shipping PSO4 under the global 0.5% S regulation, with global mean and standard deviation marked in the upper left corner

Fig.2 Column concentrations of shipping PSO4 under the global 0.5% S regulation for winter (DJF, a), spring (MAM, b), summer (JJA, c), and autumn (SON, d)

Fig.3 DRE of shipping PSO4 under the global 0.5% S regulation

Fig.4 Number concentrations of the nucleation mode (a), Aitken mode (b), and accumulation mode (c) of shipping PSO4 under the global 0.5% S regulation

Fig.5 Changes in CCN number concentration (a), CDNC (b), and cloud droplet radius (c) caused by shipping PSO4 under the global 0.5% S regulation

Fig.6 IRE of shipping PSO4 under the global 0.5% S regulation

Fig.7 Near-surface concentration (a), column concentration (b), and number concentration (c) of shipping PSO4 under the global 0.1% S regulation

Fig.8 DRE (a) and IRE (b) of shipping PSO4 under the global 0.1% S regulation

Fig.9 Total Radiative Effect of shipping PSO4 during winter (DJF, a) and summer (JJA, b) under the global 0.1% S regulation

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