• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.275-288
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• 2023

Background: When basic local governments want to improve their air quality management policies, they need fundamental evidence, such as the effectiveness of current policies or scenario results. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to lay the groundwork for a process to calculate air pollutant reduction from basic local government air quality policies and provide numerical estimates of PM_2.5 concentrations following improved policies. Methods: We calculated the amount of air pollutant reduction that can be expected in the research region based on the Gyeonggi-do Air Environment Management Implementation Plan issued in 2021 and guidelines from the Korean Ministry of Environment. The PM_2.5 concentration variations were numerically simulated using the CMAQ (photochemical air quality model). Results: The research regions selected were Suwon, Ansan, Yongin, Pyeongtaek, and Hwaseong in consideration of population, air pollutant emissions, and geographical requirements. The expected reduction ratios in 2024 compared to 2018 are CO (3.0%), NO_x (7.9%), VOCs (0.7%), SO_x (0.1%), PM₁₀ (2.4%), PM_2.5 (6.1%), NH₃ (0.05%). The reduced PM_2.5 concentration ratio was highest in July and lowest in April. The expected concentration reduction of yearly mean PM_2.5 in the research region is 0.12 ㎍/m³ (0.6%). Conclusions: Gyeonggi-do is now able to quickly provide air pollutant emission reduction calculations by respective policy scenario and PM_2.5 simulation results, including for secondary aerosol particles. In order to provide more generalized results to basic local governments, it is necessary to conduct additional research by expanding the analysis tools and periods.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.269-278
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• 2016

In order to improve air quality in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), the "Special Act on Seoul Metropolitan Air Quality Improvement" has been enforced since 2005. The strategy has resulted in some reduction of air pollution, but there has not been much research into the quantitative impact analysis of each separate preventive countermeasure. Therefore, we analyzed nitrogen oxide reduction resulting from implementation of the emission control plan for on-road mobile sources. The MM5-SMOKE-CMAQ model system was employed for air quality prediction. Reduced $NO_x$ emissions for SMA was 16,561 ton, 4.7% of reduction rate, in 2007. One countermeasure, tighter acceptable standards for manufacturing vehicles, dominated other countermeasures for effective $NO_x$ emission control. Large spatial differences in reduced emissions, those for Seoul being twice that of Incheon and Gyeonggi, showed greater $NO_x$ emission reduction impact in the heart of the metropolitan complex. The $NO_2$ concentration decreased by 0.60 ppb (2.0%), 0.18 ppb (1.5%), and 0.22 ppb (1.7%) in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi, respectively. Concentration decreases in spring and winter were larger, 1.5~2.0 times, than summer and fall. However, the $NO_2$ reduction impact did not correspond directly to local $NO_x$ emission controls in the city area because of the natural flow and dispersion, both urban and downwind.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.413-424
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• 2021

In this study, we quantitatively analyze the effect of ocean emission sources on the simulated O₃ concentrations in South Korea using the community multi-scale air quality (CMAQ) model. To analyze changes in O₃ concentrations by ocean emissions, two different CMAQ simulations considering ocean emissions (OE case) and without considering ocean emissions (NE case) were conducted during the Korea-United States air quality (KORUS-AQ) campaign period (May-June 2016). The changes in the simulated O₃ concentrations due to the effect of ocean emissions (OE case-NE case) appeared mostly in the ocean areas (+1.201 ppbv). The effect of ocean emissions was positive during the daytime (+1.813 ppbv), but negative during the nighttime (-0.612 ppbv). Analysis using the integrated process rate (IPR) confirmed that the increase or decrease in O₃ concentration by ocean emissions was mainly due to chemical processes. Further analysis using the integrated reaction rate (IRR) showed that the daytime increase in O₃ concentration was mainly attributable to the increased O₃ production via O + O₂ + M → O₃ + M reaction as photolysis of NO₂ increased due to the added ocean emissions. The nighttime decrease in O₃ concentration was mainly due to the increased O₃ titration by NO (NO + O₃ → O₂ + NO₂) due to the increased NO emission. These results indicate that the changes in the concentration O₃ in the sea area by the effect of ocean emissions are mainly due to increased NO_x emissions. However, there could be a number of uncertainties in ocean emissions data used in this study, thus continuous comparative research using the most updated data will need to be carried out in the future.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.921-928
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• 2007

The objective of this work is the air quality modeling according to the scenarios of emission on complex terrain. The prognostic meteorological fields and air quality field over complex areas of Seoul, Korea are generated by the PSU/NCAR mesoscale model (MM5) and the Third Generation Community Multi-scale Air Quality Modeling System (Models - 3/CMAQ), respectively. The emission source was driven from the Clean Air Policy Support System of the Korea National institute of Environmental Research (CAPSS), which is a 1 km x 1 km grid in South Korea during 2003. In comparison of air quality fields, the simulated averaged $PM_{10},\;NO_2,\;and\;O_3$ concentration on complex terrain in control case were decreased as compared with base case. Particularly $PM_{10}$ revealed most substantial localized differences by $(18{\sim}24{\mu}g/m^3)$. The reduction rate of $PM_{10},\;NO_2,\;and\;O_3$ is respectively 18.88, 13.34 and 4.17%.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.513-525
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• 2016

To propose an effective ensemble methods in predicting $PM_{10}$ concentration, six experiments were designed by different ensemble average methods (e.g., non-weighted, single weighted, and cluster weighted methods). The single weighted method was calculated the weighted value using both multiple regression analysis and singular value decomposition and the cluster weighted method was estimated the weighted value based on temperature, relative humidity, and wind component using multiple regression analysis. The effects of ensemble average methods were significantly better in weighted average than non-weight. The results of ensemble experiments using weighted average methods were distinguished according to methods calculating the weighted value. The single weighted average method using multiple regression analysis showed the highest accuracy for hourly $PM_{10}$ concentration, and the cluster weighted average method based on relative humidity showed the highest accuracy for daily mean $PM_{10}$ concentration. However, the result of ensemble spread analysis showed better reliability in the single weighted average method than the cluster weighted average method based on relative humidity. Thus, the single weighted average method was the most effective method in this study case.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.38-55
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• 2013

This study has been performed to select several indicators of long-range transport process that can be applied to the Northeast Asia. We first classified high air pollution days into long-range transport (LRT) dominant cases and the local emission dominant (LED) cases based on the synoptic meteorological variables including vorticity and geostrophic wind speed/direction at a geopotential level of 850 hPa. LRT cases were further categorized into two types: LRT-I type with air mass pathways from northern China and/or Mongolia, and LRT-II type from central and southern China. In each categorized case, we examined the difference of both measured aerosol optical properties of AERONET at two sites in western Korea, and the simulated characteristics of LRT process by MM5-CMAQ model. We contrasted LRT case with LED case, and then generated the LRT indicators applicable to Northeast Asia. The results showed that fine and coarse modes of LRT-II were relatively smaller than LED and LRT-I cases, respectively. Aerosol size distribution showed significantly higher concentration of fine-mode particle (mainly smoke or urban aerosols) in LED case in comparison with that of LRT groups (LRT-I, II), suggesting the amplitudes fine modes of LRT relative to LED as a possible LRT indicator. From the results of MM5-CMAQ modeling, we concluded that the conversion ratios for sulfur ($F_s$) were the most effective indicators of LRT cases, and the ratio of VOC to NOx and NOx to CO were found to be the second most effective indicators of LED case.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.613-626
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• 2023

This study investigates the impact of increased adoption of eco-friendly vehicles on ozone (O₃) concentrations in South Korea, utilizing the community multiscale air quality (CMAQ) model. In the summer of 2017 (June-August), we conducted two experiments: a BASE experiment, representing baseline emissions, and an R_30 experiment, involving a 30% emission reduction due to eco-friendly vehicles. The contrast between these experiments reveals that, while most air pollutants decreased with reduced vehicle emissions, O₃ concentrations surprisingly increased (up to 2.1 parts per billion) across South Korea. A further examination of O₃ concentration changes was conducted by analyzing daytime and nighttime variations as well as wind direction. During the daytime, O₃ concentrations notably rose near metropolitan areas due to reduced O₃ titration (O₃ + NO → O₂ + NO₂) resulting from emission reductions. At nighttime, O₃ concentrations exhibited a greater increase, attributed to the transport of daytime-generated O₃ to rural regions. Notably, the impact of reduced emissions in metropolitan areas on O₃ concentrations in downwind areas varied depending on the prevailing wind direction. These findings highlight that the promotion of eco-friendly vehicles, though effective in lowering certain air pollutants, might not directly influence O₃ concentrations. This study underscores the need to comprehensively understand the complicated chemistry of O₃ to develop effective strategies for air quality management.

• Atmosphere
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.221-233
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• 2015

Pollen is closely related to health issues such as allergenic rhinitis and asthma as well as intensifying atopic syndrome. Information on current and future spatio-temporal distribution of allergenic pollen is needed to address such issues. In this study, the Community Multiscale Air Quality Modeling (CMAQ) was utilized as a base modeling system to forecast pollen dispersal from oak trees. Pollen emission is one of the most important parts in the dispersal modeling system. Areal emission factor was determined from gridded areal fraction of oak trees, which was produced by the analysis of the tree type maps (1:5000) obtained from the Korea Forest Service. Daily total pollen production was estimated by a robust multiple regression model of weather conditions and pollen concentration. Hourly emission factor was determined from wind speed and friction velocity. Hourly pollen emission was then calculated by multiplying areal emission factor, daily total pollen production, and hourly emission factor. Forecast data from the KMA UM LDAPS (Korea Meteorological Administration Unified Model Local Data Assimilation and Prediction System) was utilized as input. For the verification of the model, daily observed pollen concentration from 12 sites in Korea during the pollen season of 2014. Although the model showed a tendency of over-estimation in terms of the seasonal and daily mean concentrations, overall concentration was similar to the observation. Comparison at the hourly output showed distinctive delay of the peak hours by the model at the 'Pocheon' site. It was speculated that the constant release of hourly number of pollen in the modeling framework caused the delay.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.159-173
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• 2017

The Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) - Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) system was applied to investigate the influence of major point sources located in Chungcheongnam-do (CN) on surface $PM_{2.5}$ (Particulate Matter of which diameter is $2.5{\mu}m$ or less) concentrations in its surrounding areas. Uncertainties associated with contribution estimations were examined through cross-comparison of modeling results using various combinations of model inputs and setups; two meteorological datasets developed with WRF for 2010 and 2014, and two domestic emission inventories for 2010 and 2013 were used to estimate contributions of major point sources in CN. The results show that contributions of major point sources in CN to annual $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations over Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, and CN ranged $0.51{\sim}1.63{\mu}g/m^3$, $0.71{\sim}1.62{\mu}g/m^3$, $0.63{\sim}1.66{\mu}g/m^3$, and $1.04{\sim}1.86{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively, depending on meteorology and emission inventory choice. It indicates that the contributions over the surrounding areas can be affected by model inputs significantly. Nitrate was the most dominant $PM_{2.5}$ component that was increased by major point sources in CN followed by sulfate, ammonium, and others. Based on the model simulations, it was estimated that primary $PM_{2.5}$ $(PPM)-to-PM_{2.5}$ conversion rates were 41.3~50.7 ($10^{-6}{\mu}g/m^3/TPY$) for CN, and 12.4~18.3 ($10^{-6}{\mu}g/m^3/TPY$) for Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi, respectively. In addition, spatial gradients of PPM contributions show very steep trends. $NO_X$-to-nitrate conversion rates were 7.61~12.3 ($10^{-6}{\mu}g/m^3/TPY$) for CN, and 3.94~11.3 ($10^{-6}{\mu}g/m^3/TPY$) for the sub-regions in the SMA. $SO_2$-to-sulfate conversion rates were 4.04~5.28 ($10^{-6}{\mu}g/m^3/TPY$) for CN, and 3.73~4.43 ($10^{-6}{\mu}g/m^3/TPY$) for the SMA, respectively.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2015

Increasing ozone concentrations are observed over Japan from year to year. One cause of high ozone concentration in the Kanto region, which includes areas inland from large coastal cities such as metropolitan Tokyo, is the transportation of precursors by sea breezes. However, high ozone concentrations are also observed in the morning, before sea breezes approach inland areas. In this point, there would be a possibility of residual ozone existing above the nocturnal boundary layer affects the ozone concentration in the following morning. In this study, we utilized the Weather Research and Forecasting model and the Community Multiscale Air Quality model to evaluate the effect of regional precursors and residual ozone on ozone concentrations over the inland Kanto region. The results show that precursors emitted from non-metropolitan areas affected inland ozone concentrations more than did precursors from metropolitan areas. Moreover, calculated results indicate downward transportation of residual ozone, resulting in increased concentration. The residual ozone was also affected by precursors emitted from non-metropolitan areas.