Size-dependent airborne particle emissions from ship traffic

Most aerosol particles emitted from shipping affect the climate by counteracting the greenhouse effect. Although, this masks the warming effect of greenhouse gases, aerosol particles also have a negative health effects, and therefore emissions need to be reduced. It is possible that the negative health effect could be a concern for not only city dwellers, but for people living in rural areas as well. According to Corbett et al., (2007) the atmospheric aerosol particles emitted by shipping cause more than 60,000 deaths a year. In order to get a better understanding of this exposure to particles from ship emissions, a measurement campaign was undertaken in Falsterbo to sample air downwind of a nearby heavily trafficked shipping route. The contribution to the total particle number concentration and particle number size distribution of the aerosol particles was quantified and analyzed using instruments such as a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS), a Condensation Particle Counter (CPC), and an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS). The result of this study was that, during January 27 2016, the ships passing by Falsterbo emitted 346 particles/cm3, which is equal to approximately 18.5 % of the total particle number concentration. This value was extrapolated for the whole measurement period and so the daily averaged contribution to the particle number concentration was estimated to 12 %, which corresponded to an increase of 225 particles/cm3 per day. However, these results have a large uncertainty, due to the approximations that had to be made.