Global warming threat escalates as “Ship Track Clouds” diminish

Posted on August 14, 2023   |  

In 2020, regulations enforced by the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) successfully reduced ships' sulfur pollution by over 80%, thereby improving global air quality.

These measures also curbed the influence of sulfate particles in generating ship track clouds, which have a cooling effect on the planet.

The decrease in ship tracks accelerated planetary warming, which was notably evident in densely trafficked Atlantic shipping routes.

Within these maritime corridors, heightened sunlight amplified the warming effect of human carbon emissions by 50%.

The unintended outcome of IMO's measures has inadvertently set the stage for a unique climate experiment, allowing researchers to witness the real-time effects of a geoengineering concept, albeit not in the intended direction.

The reduction in ship tracks is tangible evidence that strategies such as marine cloud brightening, which seeks to enhance cloud reflectivity, could potentially effectively cool the Earth's temperature.