• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.73-86
• /
• 2011

Haze phenomena were analyzed to assess the impact of long range transport process on the air quality of Seoul and Busan. We statistically classified haze days observed in both Seoul and Busan into two types of haze cases: stagnant case and long-range transport case, and analyzed the air pollutant levels comparatively for each of the two cases for the period of 2000~2007. The results showed that the long-range transport haze case occurs less frequently with the occurrence frequency of 35.5% than stagnant case with the occurrence frequency of 64.5%. During the observed all haze days, all pollutants have high concentration in comparison with those under other meteorological conditions (Rain, Mist, Dust, Clear, Rain+Mist) except for only $PM_{10}$ of Dust case where its level shows highest among total 6 categorized conditions. The long range transport haze case shows similar levels of $PM_{10}$ and $NO_2$, but higher $SO_2$ and lower $O_3$ compared with stagnant haze cases, suggesting the importance of sulfur chemistry for long range transport haze case and local photochemistry for stagnant haze case. In addition, by employing the NOAA/HYSPLIT-4 backward trajectory model, we subdivided the long range transport haze cases into two different sources: urban anthropogenic high emission areas of central China, and natural emission sources over north China and/or Mongolia. The former long range transport haze case shows higher occurrence (with Seoul 70% and Busan 85%) than the latter haze case (with Seoul 30% and Busan <10%). This is also implying that the long haze phenomena occurred over Korea have been influenced by not only the anthropogenic emissions but also the natural dust emissions. These both emission sources can be good contributors in calculating the source-receptor relationship over Korean atmospheric environment.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.751-765
• /
• 2017

This research investigates the characteristics of meteorological variation and fine particles ($PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$) for case related to the haze occurrence (Asian dust, long range transport, stationary) in Busan. Haze occurrence day was 559 days for 20 years (from 1996 to 2015), haze occurrence frequency was 82 days (14.7%) in March, followed by 67 days (12.0%) in February and 56 days (10.0%) in May. Asian dust occurred most frequently in spring and least in winter, whereas haze occurrence frequency was 31.5% in spring, 29.7% in winter, 21.1% in fall, and 17.7% in summer. $PM_{10}$ concentration was highest in the occurrence of Asian dust, followed by haze and haze + mist, whereas $PM_{2.5}$ concentration was highest in the occurrence of haze. These results indicate that understanding the relation between meteorological phenomena and fine particle concentration can provide insight into establishing a strategy to control urban air quality.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.29 no.7
• /
• pp.761-772
• /
• 2020

This research investigated the meteorologically relevant characteristics of high PM_2.5 episodes in Busan. The number of days when daily mean PM₁₀ concentration exceeded 100 ㎍/㎥ and the PM_2.5 concentration exceeded 50 ㎍/㎥ over the last four years in Busan were 24 and 58, respectively. Haze occurrence frequency was 37.6% in winter, 27.4% in spring, 18.6% in fall, and 16.4% in summer. Asian dust occurrence frequency was 81.8% in spring, 9.1% in fall and winter, and 0% in summer. During summer in Busan, high PM_2.5 episode occurred under the following meteorological conditions. 1) Daytime sea breeze. 2) Mist and haze present throuout the day. 3) Anti-cyclone located around the Korean peninsula. 4) Stable layer formed in the lower atmosphere. 5) Air parcel reached Busan by local transport rather than by long-range transport. These results indicate that understanding the meteorological relevance of high PM_2.5 episodes could provide insight for establishing a strategy to control urban air quality.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.27 no.11
• /
• pp.1129-1140
• /
• 2018

Temporal and spatial characteristics of the frequency of several weather types and the change in air pollutant concentrations according to these weather types were analyzed over a decade (2007-2016) in seven major cities and a remote area in Korea. This analysis was performed using hourly (or daily) observed data of weather types (e.g., mist, haze, fog, precipitation, dust, and thunder and lighting) and air pollutant criteria ($PM_{10}$, $PM_{2.5}$, $O_3$, $NO_2$, CO, and $SO_2$). Overall, the most frequent weather type across all areas during the study period was found to be mist (39%), followed by precipitation (35%), haze (17%), and the other types (${\leq}4%$). In terms of regional frequency distributions, the highest frequency of haze (26%) was in Seoul (especially during winter and May-June), possibly due to the high population and air pollutant emission sources, while that of precipitation (47%) was in Jeju (summer and winter), due to its geographic location with the sea on four sides and a very high mountain. $PM_{10}$ concentrations for dust and haze were significantly higher in three cities (up to $250{\mu}g/m^3$ for dust in Incheon), whereas those for the other four types were relatively lower. The concentrations of $PM_{2.5}$ and its major precursor gases ($NO_2$ and $SO_2$) were higher (up to $69{\mu}g/m^3$, 48 ppb, and 16 ppb, respectively, for haze in Incheon) for haze and/or dust than for the other weather types. On the other hand, there were no distinct differences in the concentrations of $O_3$ and CO for the weather types. The overall results of this study confirm that the frequency of weather types and the related air quality depend on the geographic and environmental characteristics of the target areas.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.439-450
• /
• 2019

Present weather plays an important role not only for atmospheric sciences but also for public welfare and road safety. While the widely used state-of-the-art visibility and present weather sensor yields present weather, a single type of measurement is far from perfect to replace long history of human-eye based observation. Truly automatic present weather observation enables us to increase spatial resolution by an order of magnitude with existing facilities in Korea. 8 years of human-eyed present weather records in 19 sites over Korea are compared with visibility sensors and auxiliary measurements, such as humidity of AWS. As clear condition agrees with high probability, next best categories follow fog, rain, snow, mist, haze and drizzle in comparison with human-eyed observation. Fog, mist and haze are often confused due to nature of machine sensing visibility. Such ambiguous weather conditions are improved with empirically induced criteria in combination with visibility and humidity. Differences between instrument manufacturers are also found indicating nonstandard present weather decision. Analysis shows manufacturer dependent present weather differences are induced by manufacturer's own algorithms, not by visibility measurement. Accuracies of present weather for haze, mist, and fog are all improved by 61.5%, 44.9%, and 26.9% respectively. The result shows that automatic present weather sensing is feasible for operational purpose with minimal human interactions if appropriate algorithm is applied. Further study is ongoing for impact of different sensing types between manufacturers for both visibility and present weather data.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.67-81
• /
• 2016

In order to examine the variation characteristics of chemical compositions in accordance with the different meteorological conditions, $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ were collected at Gosan site of Jeju Island in 2014, and then their ionic and elemental species were analyzed. The concentrations of nss-$SO{_4}^{2-}$ and $NH_4{^+}$ were respectively 4.3 and 3.3 times higher in fine particle mode ($PM_{2.5}$) compared to coarse particle mode ($PM_{10-2.5}$), however $NO_3{^-}$ concentration was 1.6 times higher in coarse mode compared to fine particle mode. During Asian dust days, the concentrations of nss-$Ca^{2+}$ and $NO_3{^-}$ increased highly as 7.7 and 4.5 times in coarse particle mode, and 3.0 and 4.9 times higher in fine particles, respectively. Especially, the concentrations of the crustal species (Al, Fe, Ca, K, Mn, Ba, Sr, etc.) indicated a noticeable increase during the Asian dust days. For the haze days, the concentrations of secondary pollutants increased 2.2~2.7 and 2.9~6.0 times in coarse and fine particles, respectively, and they were 0.8~1.1 and 1.8~2.4 times, respectively, during the mist days. The aerosols were acidified largely by sulfuric and nitric acids, and neutralized mainly by ammonia in fine particle mode during the haze days, but neutralized by calcium carbonate in coarse particle mode during the Asian dust days. The clustered back trajectory analysis showed that the concentrations of nss-$SO{_4}^{2-}$, $NO_3{^-}$, and $NH_4{^+}$ were relatively high when the inflow pathway of air mass was from the southern part of China.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.697-711
• /
• 2004

Severe haze, mist, and fog phenomena occurred in the central part of Korea during 15~25 May 2003 resulted in poor visibility and air quality. When these phenomena occurred, Korean peninsula was under the effects of anticyclone. The atmosphere was stable, and wind speed was so weak. Under this meteorological conditions, air quality was worse and worse. The characteristics of aerosol in Seoul, Incheon, and Gosan (Jeju) during this period are investigated from the $PM_{10}$. TSP concentrations and aerosol number concentrations. Concentrations of $PM_{10}$ and TSP measured at KMA increased upto 176 and 230 J.${\mu}g/m^3$ on 22 May 2003, respectively. Aerosol number concentrations of size range from 0.82 to 6.06 ${\mu}m$ increased in Seoul on 17, 19, and 21~24 May 2003, and the concentrations of $NO_2$ and $SO_2$had maximum value of 0.165 ppm at Gwanak Mt. and 0.036 ppm at Guro-dong on 23 May 2003, respectively. Result from analysis on heavy metal elements showed high concentrations of Zn, Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Cd during 20~24 May 2003. This event is examined by comprehensive analyses of synoptic weather conditions, satellite images, concentrations of suspended particles and air pollutants, and heavy metal elements.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.723-733
• /
• 2011

The ionic compositions were analyzed from the TSP samples collected at Gosan site in Jeju Island between 2000 and 2008, in order to examine the characteristics of atmospheric aerosols in accordance with the meteorological conditions. For the Asian Dust influence on the ionic compositions, the concentration ratios of $NH_4{^+}$, nss-${SO_4}^{2-}$, $NO_3{^-}$, and $K^+$ were about 1.2~2.3 during Asian Dust over Non-Asian Dust periods, noticeably that of nss-$Ca^{2+}$ was 6.8. Meanwhile the concentrations of nss-${SO_4}^{2-}$, $NO_3{^-}$, and $NH_4{^+}$ have increased as 1.8~4.4 times during the haze event periods, and 1.0~1.6 times during the fog and mist events. The ion balance has resulted that the anionic concentrations are relatively lower than the cationic concentrations, and the discrepancy appears more decidedly as a strong Asian Dust effect. The ammonium ion balance has shown that it exists as a mixture of $NH_4HSO_4$ and $(NH_4)_2SO_4$. The concentration ratios of nss-${SO_4}^{2-}/NO_3{^-}$ for Asian Dust, haze, fog-mist, and non-event periods were respectively 1.8, 5.9, 4.6, and 2.9, which were higher values compared to those in urban areas of China as well as other domestic regions. Especially, the high ratios of sulfur oxides could be presumed by the fact that the longrange transport of air pollutants from Asia continent might affect the atmospheric aerosols of Jeju Island.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.745-759
• /
• 2013

The characteristics of meteorological conditions and air pollution were investigated in a valley city (Yangsan) on bad visibility days (from 05:00 to 09:00 LST) of the cold half year (November 2008 to April 2009). This analysis was performed using the hourly observed data of meteorological variables (temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and 2 m and 10 m temperature) and air pollutants ($NO_2$, $SO_2$, $PM_{10}$, and $O_3$). In addition, visibility data based on visual measurements and a visibility meter were used. The bad visibility days were classified into four types: fog, mist, haze, and the mixture (mist+haze). The results showed that the bad visibility days of the four types in the valley city were observed to be more frequently (about 50% of the total study period (99 days except for missing data)) than (27%) those near coastal metropolitan city (Busan). The misty days (39%) in the valley city were the most dominant followed by the hazy (37%), mixture (14%), and foggy days (10%). The visibility degradation on the misty days in Yangsan was closely related to the combined effect of high-level relative humidity due to the accumulation of water vapor from various sources (e.g. river, stream, and vegetation) and strong inversion due to the development of surface radiative cooling within the valley. On the hazy days, the visibility was mainly reduced by the increase in air pollutant (except for $O_3$) concentrations from the dense emission sources under local conditions of weaker winds from the day before and stronger inversion than the misty days. The concentrations of $NO_2$, $PM_{10}$, and $SO_2$ (up to +36 ppb, $+25{\mu}g/m^3$, and +7 ppb) on the hazy days were a factor of 1.4-2.3 higher than those (+25 ppb, $+14{\mu}g/m^3$, and +3 ppb) on the misty days.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.78 no.4
• /
• pp.326-335
• /
• 2015

Background: Asian dust is known to have harmful effects on the respiratory system. Respiratory conditions are also influenced by environmental conditions regardless of the presence of pollutants. The same pollutant can have different effects on the airway when the air is dry compared with when it is humid. We investigated hospital visits for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma in relation to the environmental conditions. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using the Korean National Health Insurance Service claims database of patients who visited hospitals in Chuncheon between January 2006 and April 2012. Asian dust, haze, mist, and fog days were determined using reports from the Korea Meteorological Administration. Hospital visits for asthma or COPD on the index days were compared with the comparison days. We used two-way case-crossover techniques with one to two matching. Results: The mean hospital visits for asthma and COPD were $59.37{\pm}34.01$ and $10.04{\pm}6.18$ per day, respectively. Hospital visits for asthma significantly increased at lag0 and lag1 for Asian dust (relative risk [RR], 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.19; p<0.05) and haze (RR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.06-1.22; p<0.05), but were significantly lower on misty (RR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.80-0.99; p<0.05) and foggy (RR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.84-0.93; p<0.05) days than on control days. The hospital visits for COPD also significantly increased on days with Asian dust (RR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.05-1.59; p<0.05), and were significantly lower at lag4 for foggy days, compared with days without fog (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75-0.97; p<0.05). Conclusion: Asian dust showed an association with airway diseases and had effects for several days after the exposure. In contrast to Asian dust, mist and fog, which occur in humid air conditions, showed the opposite effects on airway diseases, after adjusting to the pollutants. It would require more research to investigate the effects of various air conditions on airway diseases.