Mesoscale ship traffic models for exhaust emission estimation

Abstract: The paper discusses aspects of using mesoscale ship traffic models to estimate indicators and characteristics of pollutant emissions contained in their exhaust gases. Values of selected model parameters calculated based on data from the ship traffic identification system in the Gulf of Gdansk area are provided.1. INTRODUCTION
The increasing demand for maritime transport indicates that the overall level of toxic compound emissions from marine internal combustion engines will systematically increase. The share of marine engines in overall environmental pollution will also grow, primarily in the area of large port city agglomerations, which includes the Tri-City area. The paper describes the basic parameters of a mesoscale ship traffic model that determines the emission of pollutants from their exhaust gases.
Processes of emission and dispersion of atmospheric air pollutants are classified according to their spatial and temporal scale. For typical distances from 1 km to 1000 km, so-called mesoscales are used, for which the flow configuration depends on both hydrodynamic effects and the heterogeneity of the area’s characteristics.
Mesoscale atmospheric processes mainly influence dispersion phenomena on a local to regional scale, and urban studies are typical examples of these. In the case of considering the process of atmospheric air pollution by exhaust gases from marine vessels, one can distinguish mesoscale models of their movement, which are the basis for simulating pollution dispersion phenomena using quite complex modeling tools [1,2,3]. A mesoscale model of air pollution from marine vessels can therefore be considered as a system of models consisting of:
– ship traffic models in a specific water area, – wind models (diagnostic or prognostic), – depth and sea state models as well as sea currents, – dispersion models.
The authors have attempted to develop a ship traffic model for a specific sea area useful for studying the emission of pollutants contained in marine vessel exhaust gases. (…)

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