• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.31-47
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• 2020

Although interest in air quality has increased due to the frequent occurrence of high-concentration fine particulate matter recently, the official fine particulate matter measuring network has failed to provide spatial detailed air quality information. This is because current measurement equipment has a high cost of installation and maintenance, which limits the composition of the measuring network at high resolution. To compensate for the limitations of the current official measuring network, this study constructed a spatial high density measuring network using the fine particulate matter simple measuring device developed by Observer, W-Station. W-Station installed 48 units on Jeju Island and measured PM_2.5 for six months. The data collected in W-Station were corrected by applying the first regression equation for each section, and these measurements were compared and analyzed based on the official measurements installed in Jeju Island. As a result, the time series of PM_2.5 concentrations measured in W-Station showed concentration characteristics similar to those of the environmental pollution measuring network. In particular, the results of comparing the measurements of W-Station within a 2 km radius of the reference station and the reference station showed that the coefficient of determination (R²) was 0.79, 0.81, 0.67, respectively. In addition, for W-Station within a 1 km radius, the coefficient of determination was 0.85, 0.82, 0.68, respectively, showing slightly higher correlation. In addition, the local concentration deviation of some regions could be confirmed through 48 high density measuring networks. These results show that if a network of measurements is constructed with adequate spatial distribution using a number of simple meters with a certain degree of proven performance, the measurements are effective in monitoring local air quality and can be fully utilized to supplement or replace formal measurements.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.1-20
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to analyze the distribution characteristics of spatial and temporal PM_2.5 in urban areas of Changwon-si, and to identify the causes of PM_2.5 by comparing the characteristics of land-use, and to suggest the direction of reduction measures. As the basic data, the every hour average from September 2017 to August 2018 of Airpro data, which has measurement points in kindergartens, elementary schools, and some middle and high schools in Changwon-si was used. Also, by using IDW method among spatial interpolation methods of GIS, monthly and time-slot distribution maps were constructed, and based on this, spatial and temporal PM_2.5 distribution characteristics were confirmed. First, to verify the accuracy of the Airpro data, the correlation with AirKorea data managed by the Ministry of Environment was confirmed. As a result of the analysis, R² was 0.75~0.86, showing a very high correlation and the data was judged that it was suitable for the study. In the monthly analysis, January was the highest year, and August was the lowest. As a result of analysis by time-slot, The clock-in time at 06-09 was the highest, and the activity time at 09-18 was the lowest. By administrative district, Sangnam-dong, Happo-dong, and Myeonggok-dong were the most severe regions of PM_2.5 and Hoeseong-dong was the lowest. As a result of analyzing the land-use characteristics by administrative area, it was confirmed that the ratio of traffic area and commercial area is high in the serious area of PM_2.5. In conclusion, the results of this study will be used as basic data to grasp the characteristics of PM_2.5 distribution in Changwon-si. Also, it is thought that the severe regions and the direction of establishing reduction measures derived from this study can be used to prepare more effective policies than before.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.6_3
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• pp.1643-1652
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• 2020

To investigate the characteristics of detailed flows in a building-congested district, we coupled a computation fluid dynamics (CFD) model to the local data assimilation and prediction system (LDAPS), a current operational numerical weather prediction model of the Korea Meteorological Administration. For realistic numerical simulations, we used the meteorological variables such as wind speeds and directions and potential temperatures predicted by LDAPS as the initial and boundary conditions of the CFD model. We trilinearly interpolated the horizontal wind components of LDAPS to provide the initial and boudnary wind velocities to the CFD model. The trilinearly interpolated potential temperatures of LDAPS is converted to temperatures at each grid point of the CFD model. We linearly interpolated the horizontal wind components of LDAPS to provide the initial and boundary wind velocities to the CFD model. The linearly interpolated potential temperatures of LDAPS are converted to temperatures at each grid point of the CFD model. We validated the simulated wind speeds and directions against those measured at the PKNU-SONIC station. The LDAPS-CFD model reproduced similar wind directions and wind speeds measured at the PKNU-SONIC station. At 07 LST on 22 June 2020, the inflow was east-north-easterly. Flow distortion by buildings resulted in the east-south-easterly at the PKNU-SONIC station, which was the similar wind direction to the measured one. At 19 LST when the inflow was southeasterly, the LDAPS-CFD model simulated southeasterly (similar to the measured wind direction) at the PKNU-SONIC station.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.377-392
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• 2017

A set of BFM (Brute Force Method) simulations with the CMAQ (Community Multiscale Air Quality) model were conducted in order to estimate self-contributions and conversion rates of PPM (Primary $PM_{2.5}$), $NO_x$, $SO_2$, $NH_3$, and VOC emissions to $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations over the SMA (Seoul Metropolitan Area). CAPSS (Clean Air Policy Support System) 2013 EI (emissions inventory) from the NIER (National Institute of Environmental Research) was used for the base and sensitivity simulations. SCCs (Source Classification Codes) in the EI were utilized to group the emissions into area, mobile, and point source categories. PPM and $PM_{2.5}$ precursor emissions from each source category were reduced by 50%. In turn, air quality was simulated with CMAQ during January, April, July, and October in 2014 for the BFM runs. In this study, seasonal variations of SMA $PM_{2.5}$ self-sensitivities to PPM, $SO_2$, and $NH_3$ emissions can be observed even when the seasonal emission rates are almost identical. For example, when the mobile PPM emissions from the SMA were 634 TPM (Tons Per Month) and 603 TPM in January and July, self-contributions of the emissions to monthly mean $PM_{2.5}$ were $2.7{\mu}g/m^3$ and $1.3{\mu}g/m^3$ for the months, respectively. Similarly, while $NH_3$ emissions from area sources were 4,169 TPM and 3,951 TPM in January and July, the self-contributions to monthly mean $PM_{2.5}$ for the months were $2.0{\mu}g/m^3$ and $4.4{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively. Meanwhile, emission-to-$PM_{2.5}$ conversion rates of precursors vary among source categories. For instance, the annual mean conversion rates of the SMA mobile, area, and point sources were 19.3, 10.8, and $6.6{\mu}g/m^3/10^6TPY$ for $SO_2$ emissions while those rates for PPM emissions were 268.6, 207.7, and 181.5 (${\mu}g/m^3/10^6TPY$), respectively, over the region. The results demonstrate that SMA $PM_{2.5}$ responses to the same amount of reduction in precursor emissions differ for source categories and in time (e.g. seasons), which is important when the cost-benefit analysis is conducted during air quality improvement planning. On the other hand, annual mean $PM_{2.5}$ sensitivities to the SMA $NO_x$ emissions remains still negative even after a 50% reduction in emission category which implies that more aggressive $NO_x$ reductions are required for the SMA to overcome '$NO_x$ disbenefit' under the base condition.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.191-202
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• 2019

In this study, performance (particle removal efficiency and breathing resistance) of several commercially available face masks (electrostatic filter masks (KF80 certified), a nanofiber filter mask (KF80 certified), and an uncertified mask) with their filter structure and composition were evaluated. Also, effects of relative humidity (RH) of incoming air, water and alcohol exposure, and reusability on performance of face masks were examined. Monodisperse and polydisperse sodium chloride particles were used as test aerosols. Except the uncertified mask filter, PM_2.5 removal efficiency was found to be higher than 90%, and the nanofiber filter mask had the highest quality factor due to the low pressure drop and high removal efficiency (nanofibers were arranged in a densely packed pore structure and contained a significant amount of fluorine in addition to carbon and oxygen). In the case of the KF80 certified mask, the removal efficiency was little affected when the RH of incoming air increased. When the mask filters were soaked in water, the removal efficiency of mask filters was degraded. In particular, the uncertified mask filter showed the highest removal efficiency degradation (26%). When the mask was soaked in alcohol, the removal efficiency also decreased with the greater degree than the water soaking case. The nanofiber mask filter showed the strongest resistance to alcohol exposure among tested mask filters. During evaluation of reusability of masks in real life, the removal efficiency of certified mask filter was less than 4% for 5 consecutive days (2 hours per day), while the removal efficiency of uncertified mask filter significantly decreased by 30% after 5 days.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.569-611
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• 2018

Rapid economic growth, urbanization, and industrialization of China have tremendously degraded the overall quality of living environments, especially the air quality, not only negatively affecting Chinese people but also impacting citizens of neighboring countries, namely Korea. The Chinese government has invested much effort to regulate the air pollution due to burning coal through introducing strict environmental monitoring policies and aggressive implementation. This paper presents an overview of Chinese air pollution prevention policy due to burning coal, and the associated trends and specifics of institutional arrangements regarding air pollutant emission regulations. It turns out that the policies have become stricter than before; some polices are geared towards enforcing extra regulation at the regional level. It is expected that the regulation will become stricter in the future. However, the actual contribution and feasibility of such policies must be analyzed based on sound science. The policies seem to care little about influencing the air quality of Korea, and this has to be improved. In order to do so, it is important to strengthen environmental cooperation between Korea and China, and better yet to research on not only the air quality but also the associated fields, such as energy, industrial technology, and global environmental governance.