Fate of Particulate Matter from Cruise-Ship Emissions in Glacier Bay during the 2008 Tourist Season

Despite frequent cruise-ship visits, Glacier Bay maintains pristine air quality due to meteorological conditions that limit pollutant accumulation. A study using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with chemistry revealed that strong temperature inversions trap particulate matter (PM10) from ship emissions, increasing concentrations by up to 43% compared to days without inversions. These inversions occurred on 42% of the 124-day tourist season in 2008, lasting an average of 9 hours. While hourly PM10 levels peaked at ~44 μg·m-3, seasonal averages remained below 2 μg·m-3. The research also found that pollutants occasionally entered Glacier Bay from external sources, such as ship traffic in Icy Strait or orographically forced lifting over the Fairweather Mountains. Meteorological observations validated the model's accuracy in capturing local conditions.

Pirhalla, M., Gende, S., & Mölders, N. (2014). Fate of Particulate Matter from Cruise-Ship Emissions in Glacier Bay during the 2008 Tourist Season. Journal of Environmental Protection, 05(12), 1235–1254. https://doi.org/10.4236/jep.2014.512118