The Atlantic Ocean is experiencing increased warming, affecting marine ecosystems. Rising temperatures have attributed to greenhouse gas emissions and stalled high-pressure weather systems that decrease cloud formation, allowing oceans to heat up. Another factor, often overlooked, is the reduction of ship tracks caused by regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2020. These ship tracks, formed by sulfate particles emitted by ships, contribute to the creation of reflective clouds that cool the planet. With fewer ship tracks due to reduced sulfur pollution, the Atlantic has warmed more rapidly, particularly in shipping corridors, amplifying the warming effect of carbon emissions. This unintentional experiment suggests that cloud brightening, a geo-engineering approach to inject salt particles into the air for more reflective clouds, could potentially help counteract global warming. Scientists are studying the complex interactions between pollution and clouds to better understand their impact on climate change.
