Weather Eye: the not so bracing sea air

Paul Simons

Exactly a century ago John Hassall drew his poster of a jolly fisherman skipping over a sandy beach with the slogan “Skegness is SO Bracing.” It summed up how the Victorians loved the seaside air, as a tonic to breathe in deep for health and wellbeing. But new evidence shows it to be the opposite.
A recent study discovered that dirty smoke from ships is polluting coastal air. Ships burning a cheap sulphur-rich fuel called “bunker oil” produce clouds of tiny sulphate particles. These specks of dirt pose a serious health hazard when breathed in. Air samples taken from the coast of California revealed that sulphates from ships made up almost half the fine particles floating in the air. However, from 2015 United Nations international maritime regulations will make ships burn cleaner fuels when they come near to coastlines.
Another problem floating around at the seaside is entirely natural. The Victorians thought that the bracing air and distinctive smell of the seaside was created by ozone, and that this was wonderful for health. They were wrong on both counts – the smell is not ozone, which is extremely harmful. Instead, University of East Anglia scientists found the smell comes from dimethyl sulphide (DMS), which in high concentrations can irritate the eyes and lungs. DMS released from the oceans affects the weather by helping to seed clouds. With more clouds, less sunlight reaches the sea and so cools off temperatures over oceans. Many scientists believe that DMS is one of Nature’s checks and balances to keep the climate in harmony, and may help to offset global warming.