A paper published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal ‘Communications Earth and Environment’ and reported in the UK newspaper ‘The Guardian’ suggests that the 2020 IMO sulphur reduction measures could be one of the factors behind the significant rise in ocean surface temperatures recorded in 2023.
The analysis concluded that the drop in pollution particles resulting from the drop in sulphur emissions from shipping, when the 3.5% maximum sulphur content in fuel oil was reduced to 0.5%, may have significantly increased heat being trapped at the earth’s surface. In 2023, the rate of global heating, measured using satellite data, was fund to be around double the long-term average.
However, the effect is thought to be temporary; the reduction in ship pollution having led to a ‘termination shock’ that is expected to return to ‘normal’ levels after about seven years.
The effect of pollution particles on global warming is still relatively unknown, and while some scientists believe lower ship pollution was a contributing factor to the 2023 temperature rise, others consider that more research is needed to establish the full picture.
Image: Particle pollution (Tubagus Andri Maulana / Unsplash)
