Ship emissions measurement in the Arctic from plume intercepts of the Canadian Coast Guard <i>Amundsen</i> icebreaker from the <i>Polar 6</i> aircraft platform

Abstract. Decreasing sea ice and increasing marine navigability in northern latitudes have changed Arctic ship traffic patterns in recent years and are predicted to increase annual ship traffic in the Arctic in the future. Development of effective regulations to manage environmental impacts of shipping requires an understanding of ship emissions and atmospheric processing in the Arctic environment. As part of the summer 2014 NETCARE (Network on Climate and Aerosols) campaign, the plume dispersion and gas and particle emission factors of emissions originating from the Canadian Coast Guard Amundsen icebreaker operating near Resolute Bay, NU, Canada have been investigated. The Amundsen burnt distillate fuel with 1.5 wt % sulfur. Emissions were studied via plume intercepts using aircraft measurements, an analytical plume dispersion model, and using the FLEXPART-WRF Lagrangian particle dispersion model. The first plume intercepts by research aircraft were carried out on 19 July 2014 during the operation of the Amundsen in the open water. The second and third plume intercept measurements were carried out on 20 and 21 July 2014 when the Amundsen had reached the ice edge and operated under icebreaking conditions. Typical of Arctic marine navigation, the engine load was low compared to cruising conditions for all of the plume intercepts. The measured species included mixing ratios of CO2, NOx, CO, SO2, particle number concentration (CN), refractory Black Carbon (rBC), and Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN). The results were compared to similar experimental studies in mid latitudes. Plume expansion rates (γ) were calculated using the analytical model and found to be γ = 0.75 ± 0.80, 0.93 ± 0.37, and 1.19 ± 0.39 for plumes 1, 2, and 3, respectively. These rates are smaller than prior studies conducted at mid latitudes, likely due to polar boundary layer dynamics, including reduced turbulent mixing compared to mid latitudes. All emission factors were in agreement with prior observations at low engine loads in mid latitudes. Icebreaking increased the NOx emission factor from EFNOx = 22.3 ± 8.0 to 57.8 ± 11.0 and 65.8 ± 4.0 g kg–diesel−1 for plumes 1, 2, and 3, likely due to change in combustion temperatures. The CO emission factor was EFCO = 6.4 ± 11.7, 6.8 ± 2.2 and 5.0 ± 1.0 g kg–diesel−1 for plumes 1, 2, and 3. The rBC emission factor was EFrBC = 0.20 ± 0.04 and 0.25 ± 0.12 g kg–diesel−1 for plumes 1 and 2. The CN emission factor was reduced while icebreaking from EFCPC = 1.96 ± 0.41 to 0.43 ± 0.11 and 0.47 ± 0.04 × 1016 kg–diesel−1 for plumes 1, 2, and 3. At 0.6 % supersaturation, the CCN emission factor was lower than observations in mid latitudes at low engine loads with EFCCN = 1.63 ± 0.41 to 1.06 ± 0.32 and 0.28 ± 0.07 × 1014 kg–diesel−1 for plumes 1, 2, and 3.

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