Air quality in Canadian port cities after regulation of low-sulphur marine fuel in the North American Emissions Control Area

Highlights: • Marine shipping has historically been major emitter of SO₂ and particulate matter. • New regulations required ships to use low-sulphur fuel in Canadian waters. • Air pollutant data were analysed for trends with the regulations at five port cities. • Regulations improved air quality most for SO₂ and PM_2.5 components V, Ni, sulphate. • Port city SO₂ levels are now equal to typical urban sites, reducing health risks. Large marine vessels have historically used high-sulphur (S) residual fuel oil (RFO), with substantial airborne releases of sulphur dioxide (SO) and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) enriched in vanadium (V), nickel (Ni) and other air pollutants. To address marine shipping air pollution, Canada and the United States have jointly implemented a North American Emissions Control Area (NA ECA) within which ships are regulated to use lower-sulphur marine fuel or equivalent SO₂ scrubbers (i.e., 3.5% maximum fuel S reduced to 1% S in 2012 and 0.1% S in 2015). To investigate the effects of these regulations on local air quality, we examined changes in air pollutant (SO, PM_2.5, NO, O), and related PM_2.5 components (V, Ni, sulphate) concentrations over 2010–2016 at the Canadian port cities of Halifax, Vancouver, Victoria, Montreal, and Quebec City. SO₂ concentrations showed large statistically significant decreases at all sites (−28% to −83% mean hourly change), with the largest improvements in the coastal cities when the 0.1% fuel S regulation took effect. Statistically significant PM_2.5 but smaller fractional reductions were also observed (−7% to −37% mean hourly change), reflecting the importance of non-marine PM sources. RFO marker species V and Ni in PM_2.5 dramatically declined following regulation implementation, consistent with decreased RFO use likely indicating the switch to low-S distillate fuel oil rather than exhaust scrubbers for initial compliance. Significant changes in other pollutants with non-marine sources (NO₂, O₃) were not contemporaneous with the regulatory timeline. The large SO₂ improvements in the port cities have reduced 1-h concentrations to 2 sources and likely reducing health risks to susceptible populations such as asthmatics and the elderly. Our findings indicate that the implementation of the NA ECA improved air quality at Canadian port cities immediately following the requirement for lower-S fuel. These air quality improvements suggest that large-scale international benefits can result from implementation of the 2020 global low-S marine fuel regulations.