Enhancements of droplet concentrations in clouds affected by four ships wer
e fairly accurately predicted from ship emission factors and plume and back
ground cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) spectra, Ship exhausts thus account
ed for the increased droplet concentrations in these "ship tracks." Derived
supersaturations were typical of marine stratus clouds, although there was
evidence of some lowering of supersaturations in some ship tracks closer t
o the ships where CCN and droplet concentrations were very high. Systematic
differences were measured in the emission rates of CCN for different engin
es and fuels. Diesel engines burning low-grade marine fuel oil produced ord
er of magnitude higher CCN emissions than turbine engines burning higher-gr
ade fuel. Consequently, diesel ships burning low-grade fuel were responsibl
e for nearly all of the observed ship track clouds. There is some evidence
that fuel type is a better predictor of ship track potential than engine ty
pe.