The effect of ship emissions is most evident in the Northern Hemisphere oceans, where heavy shipping occurs. Sulfur emissions from cargo ships are causing ocean and coastal pollution and may affect scientific understanding of climate change, researchers reported in the in Aug. 19 issue of the journal Nature .
Ships burn high-sulfur fuel that is responsible for the sulfur dioxide emissions.
Regionally, sulfur emissions contribute to acid rain, which can pollute bodies of water and damage vegetation. The study is the first solid argument for a reduction in sulfur emissions from shipping, said Barry Huebert. The effect of aerosols has been difficult to quantify because they have much shorter lifetime in the atmosphere about a week compared to decades and hundreds of years for greenhouse gases. The study also shows that the effect of ship emissions is most evident in the Northern Hemisphere oceans, where heavy shipping occurs. Most oceans in the Southern Hemisphere, with the exception of the area around Australia, are unaffected.