Particle Emissions from Ship Engines: Emission Properties and Transformation in the Marine Boundary Layer

In the framework of a combined effort ship emission studies were conducted in 2004. Detailed aerosol microphysics and chemistry was measured in the raw exhaust gas of a single-cylinder test bed engine. The emission studies were complemented by airborne aerosol transformation studies in the marine boundary layer using the DLR aircraft Falcon 20 E-5. In this experiment a single plume of a large container ship was extensively investigated. Observations from emission studies and plume studies combined with a Gaussian plume dispersion model yield a consistent picture of particle transformation processes from emission from a ship engine to atmospheric processing in the marine boundary layer during plume expansion. The results are used for the determination of emission indices of particulate matter from ships and for the estimation of life times of ship exhaust particles in the marine boundary layer