NASA satellites have seen that the number of clouds caused by ship pollution is going down.

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By Shivesh

Tianle Yuan, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, led the study.

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By Shivesh

Tianle Yuan, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, led the study.

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By Shivesh

The study looked at ship tracks, which are crisscrossed by high-density clouds that form around the pollution that comes out of ships' exhausts.

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By Shivesh

Infrared imaging technology can tell the difference between ship tracks and marine clouds, based on how concentrated they are and how they scatter light.

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By Shivesh

Compared to the climatological mean, the average number of ship tracks in five major shipping lanes drops by 50% or more every year.

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By Shivesh

When IMO 2020 went into effect on January 1, 2020, the amount of Sulphur allowed in fuel oil dropped from 3.5% to 0.5%.

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By Shivesh

Regional rules about the amount of Sulphur in fuel were less effective because ships just changed their routes to avoid the affected areas.

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By Shivesh

The study found that the number of ship tracks was highest along busy shipping routes, with the exception of the Southern Ocean, where there was an oddity.

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By Shivesh

When the tracks were looked at, they were found to be natural Sulphur Oxide plumes from volcanoes.

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By Shivesh