Modifications on the coastal atmospheric sulfur and cloud condensation nuclei along the Eastern China seas by shipping fuel transition

Jingbo Mao; Yan Zhang; Shujun Bie; Zimin Han; Jihong Song; Rongmin Ye; Hongtao Wang; Fangqun Yu; Yangzhou Wu; Dantong Liu

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173142

Modifications on the coastal atmospheric sulfur and cloud condensation nuclei along the Eastern China seas by shipping fuel transition

Sci Total Environ. 2024 May 12:934:173142. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173142. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jingbo Mao¹, Yan Zhang², Shujun Bie¹, Zimin Han¹, Jihong Song³, Rongmin Ye³, Hongtao Wang³, Fangqun Yu⁴, Yangzhou Wu⁵, Dantong Liu⁵

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
² Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China; Institute of Eco-Chongming (IEC), Shanghai 200062, China; MOE laboratory for National Development and Intelligent Governance, Shanghai institute for energy and carbon neutrality strategy, IRDR ICoE on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather/Climate Extremes Impact and Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China. Electronic address: yan_zhang@fudan.edu.cn.
³ Zhejiang Marine Ecology and Environment Monitoring Center, Zhoushan 316021, China.
⁴ Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY 12226, USA.
⁵ Department of Atmospheric Sciences, School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.

PMID: 38744395
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173142

Abstract

Marine fuel combustion from shipping releases SO₂ and forms sulfate particles, which may alter low cloud characteristics. A series of strategies were implemented to control the sulfur content of ship fuel oil from 2018 to 2020, offering insights into the effects of the ship fuel oil transition on sulfur-related pollutants and the consequent cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in the atmosphere. Compared to 2018 in the southeast China waters, shipping SO₂ emission decreased by 78 % in 2020, resulting in a 76 % reduction in ship-related total sulfur concentration, and a decrease of 54 % in CCN number concentration under supersaturation 0.2 % (CCN0.2) contributed by shipping. The response of CCN0.2 to ship-related sulfate modification is more pronounced in relatively clean environments than polluted environments, highlighting the uneven changes in coastal CCN along the Eastern China Sea induced by the ship fuel policies. CCN can trigger the formation of cloud droplets, 2020 fuel regulation may have and will reduce the cooling radiative forcing effect with strong spatial heterogeneity. The study provides insights into the variations in coastal atmospheric sulfur-related pollutants and CCN in uneven response to changes in ship fuel oil, prompting the need for further comprehensive assessments of the climate effects resulting from potential shifts in ship fuel use in the future.

Keywords: CCN; Fuel oil transition; Model; Ship emissions; Sulfur.