• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.647-661
• /
• 2003

For continuous monitoring of atmospheric visibility in the city of Kwanaju, Korea, a transmissometer system consisting of a transmitter and a receiver was installed at a distance of 1.91 km across the downtown Kwanaju. At the transmitter site an integrating nephelometer and an aethalometer were also installed to measure the scattering and absorption coefficients of the atmosphere, respectively. At the receiver site. an URG PM$_{2.5}$ cyclone sampler and an URG-VAPS (Versatile Air Pollutant Sampler) with three filter packs and two denuders were used to collect both PM$_{2.5}$ and PM$_{10}$ samples at a 2-hour or 12-hour sampling interval for aerosol chemical analysis. Sulfate, organic mass by carbon (OMC), nitrate, elemental carbon (EC) components of fine aerosol were the major contributors to visibility impairment. Diurnal variation of visibility during best-case days showed rapid improvement in the morning hours, while it was delayed until afternoon during the worst-case days. Aerosol mass concentration of each aerosol component for the worst-case was calculated to be 11.2 times larger than the best-case for (NH$_4$)$_2$SO$_4$(NHSO), 19.0 times for NH$_4$NO$_3$ (NHNO), 2.2 times for OMC, respectively. Also result shows that elemental carbon and fine soil (FS) were 3.7 and 2.2 times more than those of best-case. respectively- Sum of total contributions of wet NHSO and NHNO to light extinction was calculated to be 301 Mm$^{-1}$ for the worst-case. However, sum of contributions by dry NHSO and NHNO was calculated to be 123 Mm$^{-1}$ for the best case. Mass extinction efficiencies of fine and coarse particles were calculated to be 5.8$\pm$0.3 $m^2$/g and 1.8$\pm$0.1 $m^2$/g, respectively.ely.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.269-284
• /
• 1997

The ambient concentrations of gaseous and particulate phase ionic species and gaseous organic species in the Yochon industrial estate were measured during the spring ans summer of 1996. A three-stage filter pack sampler was used to collect particles and gaseous species, and stainless steel air sampling containers were used to collect air samples for organic species analyses. The concentrations of ions in aerosol wree comparable to those measured in Seoul. Aerosols measured were acidic, thus, most volatile acidic species were in the gas phase. The concentrations of organic species were highly variable, implying those were strongly dependent on the emissions of organic species from petrochemical plants. The concentrations of a few hazardous organic components were higher than those in Seoul or some populated areas in USA.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.95-104
• /
• 2013

The study of carbonaceous aerosols in the atmosphere is critical to understand the role of aerosols in human health and climate. Using standardized thermal optical transmittance methods, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and water soluble organic carbon (WSOC) were determined using a combustion sampling system for four types of agricultural crop residues (rice straw, red pepper stems, soybean stems, and green perilla stems) and eight types of forest trees (pine stems, pine needles, ginkgo stems, ginkgo leaves, maple stems, maple leaves, cherry stems, and cherry leaves). The aerosol particles between 0.056 and $5.6{\mu}m$ in size were analyzed using a Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI). In the current study, the Carbonaceous Thermal Distribution (CTD) by carbon analyzer was discussed in order to understand the carbon fractions from the twelve types of biomass burning. Also, the concentration of OC, EC, WSOC, and water insoluble organic carbon (WIOC) detected in the emissions were described.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.420-431
• /
• 2009

Characteristics and advantages of the thermal desorption-comprehensive two dimensional gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (TD-GCxGC-TOFMS) were discussed and the organic compound's analysis result was shown for the ambient $PM_{2.5}$ sample collected in Seoul, Korea. Over 10,000 individual organic compounds were separated from about $70{\mu}g$ of aerosols in a single procedure with no sample pre-treatment. Among them, around 300 compounds were identified and classified based on the mass fragmentation patterns and GCxGC retention times. Several aliphatic compounds groups such as alkanes, alkenes, cycloalkanes, alkanoic acids, and alkan-2-ones were identified as well as 72 PAH compounds including alkyl substituted compounds and 8 hopanes. In Seoul aerosol, numerous oxidized aromatic compounds including major components of secondary organic aerosols were observed. The inventory of organic compounds in $PM_{2.5}$ of Seoul, Korea suggested that organic aerosol were constituted by the compounds of primary source emission as well as the formation of secondary organic aerosols.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.207-222
• /
• 2018

In this study, light absorption of carbonaceous species in $PM_{2.5}$ was investigated using a dual-spot 7-wavelength Aethalometer(model AE33) with 1-min time interval between January 01 and September 30, 2017 at an urban site of Gwangju. During the study period, two Asian dust (AD) events occurred in April (AD I) and May (AD II), respectively, during which light absorption in total suspended particles was observed. Black carbon (BC) was the dominant light absorbing aerosol component at all wavelengths over the study period. Light absorption coefficients by aerosol particles were found to have 2.7~3.3 times higher at 370 nm than at 880 nm. This would be attributed to light absorbing organic aerosols, which is called brown carbon (BrC), as well as BC as absorbing agents of aerosol particles. Monthly average absorption ${{\AA}}ngstr{\ddot{o}}m$ exponent ($AAE_{370-950nm}$) calculated over wavelength range of 370~950 nm ranged from 1.10 to 1.35, which was lower than the $AAE_{370-520nm}$ values ranging from 1.19~1.68 that was enhanced due to the presence of BrC. The estimated $AAE_{370-660nm}$ of BrC ranged from 2.2 to 7.5 with an average of 4.22, which was fairly consistent to the values reported by previous studies. The BrC absorption at 370 nm contributed 10.4~28.4% to the total aerosol absorption, with higher contribution in winter and spring and lower in summer. Average $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations were $108{\pm}36$ and $24{\pm}14{\mu}g/m^3$ during AD I, respectively, and $164{\pm}66$ and $43{\pm}26{\mu}g/m^3$ during AD II, respectively, implying the greater contribution of local pollution and/or regional pollution to $PM_{2.5}$ during the AD II. BC concentration and aerosol light absorption at 370 nm were relatively high in AD II, compared to those in AD I. Strong spectral dependence of aerosol light absorption was clearly found during the two AD events. $AAE_{370-660nm}$ of both light absorbing organic aerosols and dust particles during the AD I and II was $4.8{\pm}0.5$ and $6.2{\pm}0.7$, respectively. Higher AAE value during the AD II could be attributed to mixed enhanced urban pollution and dust aerosols. Absorption contribution by the light absorbing organic and dust aerosols estimated at 370 nm to the total light absorption was approximately 19% before and after the AD events, but it increased to 32.9~35.0% during the AD events. In conclusion, results from this study support enhancement of the aerosol light absorption due to Asian dust particles observed at the site.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.55 no.1
• /
• pp.130-134
• /
• 2017

Organic aerosols dispersed in the atmosphere likely undergo phase separation. Such internally mixed particles are often described as comprising an organic phase and an aqueous phase separately. We studied the morphology of two liquid separated aerosols in the sub-microscale by using a simple thermodynamic model with Russian doll geometry. The morphology of particles can be easily predicted from the simple criteria on the surface tension and two algebraic equations (the volume constraint and Young equation). This result may give the potential explanation about the complex morphology of the organic airborne particles.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.232-235
• /
• 2003

In general, the parameters of climate change include aerosol chemical compounds, aerosol optical depth, greenhouse gases(carbon dioxide, CFCs, methane, nitrous oxide, tropospheric ozone), ozone distribution, precipitation acidity and chemical compounds, persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals, radioactivity, solar radiation including ultra-violet and standard meteorological parameters. Over the last ten years, the monitoring activities of Korea regarding to the climate change have been progressed within the WMO GAW and ACE-Asia IOP programs centered at the observation sites of Anmyeon and Jeju Gosan islands respectively. The Greenhouse gases were pointed out that standard air quality monitoring techniques are required to enhance data comparability and that data presentation formats need to be harmonized and easily understood. Especially, the impact of atmospheric aerosols on climate depends on their optical properties, which, in turn, are a function of aerosol size distribution and the spectral reflective indices. Aerosol optical depth and single scattering albedo in the visible are used as the two basic parameters in the atmospheric temperature variation studies. The former parameter is an indicator of the attenuation power of aerosols, while the latter represents the relative strength of scattering and absorption by aerosols. For aerosols with weak absorption, surface temperature decreases as the optical depth increases because of the domination of backscattering. For aerosols with strong absorption, however, warming could occur as the optical depth increases. The objective of the study is to characterize the means, variability, and trends of Greenhouse gases and aerosol properties on a regional basis using data from its baseline observatories in Korea peninsula. A further goal is to understand the factors that control radiative forcing of the greenhouse and aerosol.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.27-38
• /
• 2005

An experimental investigation of the gas-phase photooxidation of toluene-NO$_{x}$-air mixtures at sub-ppm concentrations has been carried out in a 6.9 ㎥, indoor smog chamber irradiated by blacklights. Measured parameters in the toluene-NO$_{x}$ experiments included aerosol, $O_3$, NO, NO$_2$, NO$_{x}$ CO, SO$_2$ toluene, and air temperature. The initial toluene concentration ranged from 225 ppb to 991 ppb and the initial concentration ratio of toluene/NO$_{x}$ in ppbC/ppb was in the range of 5～20. It was found that the variation of aerosol number concentration with irradiation time caused by the photooxidation of toluene-NO$_{x}$-air mixtures depended on the initial toluene concentration for similar concentration ratio of toluene/NO$_{x}$. The dependency of initial toluene concentration on the photooxidation of toluene-NO$_{x}$-air mixtures for toluene/NO$_{x}$= 5～6 seemed to be opposite to that for toluene/NO$_{x}$=10～11. The maximum number concentration of aerosols formed by photooxidation and the aerosol yield depended on both initial toluene concentration and initial concentration ratio of toluene/NO$_{x}$. In this study, the aerosol yield, defined as aerosol formed per unit toluene consumed, was found to be 0.01～0.16.und to be 0.01～0.16.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.141-148
• /
• 2015

Recently increased anthropogenic aerosols change the radiative energy balance and affect human life. The management of air quality requires monitoring both the local emissions and transported pollutants. In order to estimate the quantitative contribution of long-range transport from remote sources on aerosol concentrations in Seoul, the airmasses were classified into five types with respect to their pathways. When airmass came from west over strong emission regions in China, high concentrations of $PM_{10}$, $PM_{2.5}$, black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) were found, even higher than those for the stagnated airmass. High OC concentrations were found when airmass came from north while BC, EC, and $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations were lower than those of the stagnated airmasses. During dust events, the $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{10}$ concentrations increased significantly while carbonaceous aerosol concentrations did not increased. The temporal variations of aerosol concentrations in Seoul were affected by the seasonal variations of airmass pathways. The high $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations over $100{\mu}g\;m^{-3}$ appeared most frequently when the airmasses came from west.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.353-363
• /
• 2007

To differentiate temperature effect from the light intensity effect on the formation of secondary products during the photooxidation of toluene-$NO_x$-air mixtures, steady-state air temperature was changed from $20^{\circ}C\;to\;33^{\circ}C$ at the same light intensity of $0.39min^{-1}$ in an indoor smog chamber. Smog chamber consisted of 64 blacklights and a $5.8m^3$ reaction bag made of Teflon film. Air temperature was controlled by an air-conditioning system. The starting time for rapid conversion of NO to $NO_2$ was slightly delayed with decreasing air temperature. In contrast to light intensity effect, the ozone formation time and the ozone production rate were insensitive to air temperature. Although the formation time for secondary organic aerosols was not changed, the particle number concentration increased with temperature. However, the newly formed secondary organic aerosol mass at lower temperature was higher than that at higher temperature. Since light intensity significantly affected the starting time and quantity of ozone and aerosol formation, it is considered that the temperature could contribute partly the quantity of aerosol formation during the photooxidation of toluene-$NO_x$-air mixtures.