Refereed article in compilation book (A3)
Black carbon, maritime traffic and the Arctic
List of Authors: Olli-Pekka Brunila, Tommi Inkinen, Vappu Kunnaala-Hyrkki, Esa Hämäläinen, Katariina Ala-Rämi
Editors: Pongrácz Eva, Pavlov Victor, Hänninen Niko
Publication year: 2020
Book title *: Arctic Marine Sustainability: Arctic Maritime Businesses and the Resilience of the Marine Environment
Title of series: Springer Polar Sciences
Start page: 165
End page: 177
ISBN: 978-3-030-28403-9
eISBN: 978-3-030-28404-6
ISSN: 2510-0475
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28404-6_8
URL: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-28404-6_8
Maritime transportation covers approximately
90% of the global traffic volumes. The global fleet consists of
approximately 100,000 diesel ships, around 250 LNG ships, and a smaller
number of methanol or even electric ferries. When it comes to maritime
transportation, the Arctic sea route is becoming more and more
interesting for the shipping industry as it has been estimated that the
Northeast Passage can shorten the travelling distance significantly
compared to Suez Canal.
Black Carbon (BC)
is the second largest contributor to climate change emissions after
carbon dioxide (CO2). BC particles spread out from different sources and
the majority of BC emissions are transmitted to the Polar Regions from
other parts of the globe. The share of global BC emission from
international shipping is estimated to be up to 3% of the global total.
The
Northern Sea Route can shorten the travelling distance, but it is
important to find out, will the increase of maritime traffic effect the
BC emissions in the Arctic. This paper considers how BC from ships’ fuel
affects the Arctic. This paper also discusses alternative fuels and
emission abatement technologies, which can decrease the emissions from
ships and may also affect the BC emissions in the Arctic in the future.
