Estimation of vessel emissions and contribution to overall pollution in port-cities

Abstract

Vessel emissions are a source of pollution in port cities. We assessed the contribution of vessels' emissions using the maritime traffic during 2020 in the vicinity of the city of Barcelona and a model of emissions. We found that, unlike wheeled traffic, maritime traffic did not decrease significantly during lockdown. Accordingly, our results indicate that vessel emissions kept similar levels during the different restrictions enforced during 2020. However, measured pollutants in air quality stations showed significant decrease, which can be associated to lower wheeled traffic. Results suggest that wheeled traffic dominates city pollution over port activity.