• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.59-74
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• 2010

The trend of the PM10 concentrations in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) is reviewed and relative contributions of major contributors (paved road emissions and long-range transport from outside the SMA) are discussed. It was shown that the PM10 concentrations in the SMA have generally decreased except Incheon between 1999 and 2005. Further, it was identified that the difference of the PM10 mass concentration between the roadside stations and urban ambient stations has decreased between 2004 and 2008. Based on the emission estimates, it was suggested that the reduction of resuspension of aerosols on the road is the major reason for that. Based on the modeling results, it was identified that outside effects be about 30% of the ambient PM10 concentration in the SMA. Further research and policy issues to identify major sources of PM10 in the SMA are discussed.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2007

This study was carried out to estimate the emission reduction rates for the regional allowable emissions by special measures to achieve the target air quality in Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA). A modeling system was designed to validate the details in enforcement regulations set up by local governments based on the current status and plans for air quality improvement. Modeling system was composed of meteorological model (MM5), emission model (SMOKE), and air quality model (CMAQ). Predicted results by this system show quiet well not only daily air pollutants concentration but also the tendencies of wind direction, wind speed and temperature. To achieve the target air quality in Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), emission allowances are estimated by seasons and regions. Referring to the base year 2002, it was estimated that emission reduction rates to achieve the intermediate goal in 2007 were 14.2% and 16.6% for NOx and $PM_{10}$, respectively. It was also estimated that 52% of NOx and 48% of $PM_{10}$ reductions from the base year 2002 would be required to accomplish the air quality improvement goal of 22 ppb for $NO_2$, and $40mg/m^3$ for $PM_{10}$ in year 2014. To improve $NO_2$ and $PM_{10}$ concentration through emissions reduction policies, it was found that emissions reduction for the on-road mobile sources would be the most effective in SMA.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.159-171
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• 2019

The cap-and-trade system against the air pollutants in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), Korea has been implemented since 2008 and will be implemented other areas in Korea on 2020. In this study, to identify the outcome and effectiveness of the cap-and-trade system in the SMA, (1) the rate of change for NOx and SOx emissions, (2) differences between the real emission and allocated amount, and (3) the status of trading are reviewed. It was found that the NOx and SOx emissions from the sources under the cap-and-trade system decreased in the SMA but the reduction was mainly due to the reduction of fuel usage not related to the system. It was found that the average percentage of annual emission in the SMA to the allocated amount between 2008 and 2018 was 66.9% for NOx and 69.3% for SOx, respectively. It suggests that there was over allocation of the emission amounts. The average trading prices in the SMA were 0.193 $/kg for NOx and 0.128 $/kg for SOx, far lower than those in RECLAIM, 131.942 $/kg and 81.677 $/kg, respectively. It was suggested that (1) the cap system for NOx and SOx emissions should be implemented only for the area with high emission ratio from large point sources, (2) the trade system is not suitable for the effective implementation of the cap system, and (3) Korean government should not allow over allocation in order to ensure sound market function without delaying the introduction of technology.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.111-117
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• 2012

To establish area specific control strategy for ambient ozone in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), the maximum ozone concentration in each local government district in the SMA were estimated by using the OZone Isopleth Plotting Package for Research (OZIPR) model. The modeling period was June 2000 and the emission inventory data used were from National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER). Except the islands of Incheon, whole Seoul and Incheon areas were volatile organic compounds (VOCs) limited, i.e., decreasing the oxides of nitrogen ($NO_X$) emission alone may increase the maximum ozone concentration upto certain point. In Gyeonggi, 12 areas were VOCs limited while 12 areas were in between VOCs limited and $NO_X$ limited, i.e., decreasing both $NO_X$ and VOCs emission may decrease the maximum ozone concentration. Majority of the estimated ozone values were lower than the measured values. The reason could be inaccuracy in emission inventories and/or transport from other areas. The same calculation was carried out for June 2004 and it was found that Seoul was still in the VOCs limited condition.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.580-598
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• 2008

Focusing on 'growing together' strategies through horizontal fiscal equalization systems, this and subsequent papers aim to suggest regional co-development strategies in which conflicts between the Seoul Metropolitan Area(SMA) and the non-SMA can be efficiently alleviated. Regarding the socio-economic relationships between the SMA and the non-SMA, there are two contradictory perspectives. One perspective is that the SMA grows at the expense of the non-SMA. The other perspective is that non-SMA's economy is somehow entirely dependent on the economic activities occurring within the SMA, which is the opposite of the former perspective. There are various forms of collaboration among local or regional governments, but the most radical solutions involve the establishment of new regional development financing method at the practical level. This paper suggests that horizontal fiscal equalization not yet introduced between same level subgovernments need to be institutionalized to promote the growing together between the SMA and the rest region of Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.261-272
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• 2012

In this study, climate variability was predicted by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model under two different scenarios (current trends scenario; SC1 and managed scenario; SC2) for future urban growth over the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA). We used the urban growth model, SLEUTH (Slope, Land-use, Excluded, Urban, Transportation, Hill-Shade) to predict the future urban growth in SMA. As a result, the difference of urban ratio between two scenarios was the maximum up to 2.2% during 50 years (2000~2050). Also, the results of SLEUTH like this were adjusted in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to analysis the difference of the future climate for the future urbanization effect. By scenarios of urban growth, we knew that the significant differences of surface temperature with a maximum of about 4 K and PBL height with a maximum of about 200 m appeared locally in newly urbanized area. However, wind speeds are not sensitive for the future urban growth in SMA. These results show that we need to consider the future land-use changes or future urban extension in the study for the prediction of future climate changes.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.99-108
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• 2011

To establish area specific control strategies for the reduction of the ozone concentration, the Ozone Isopleth Plotting Package for Research(OZIPR) model has been widely used. However, the model results tend to changed by various input parameters such as the background concentration, emission amount of NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and meteorological condition. Thus, sensitivity analysis should be required to ensure the reliability of the result. The OZIPR modeling results for five local government districts in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) in June 2000 were used for the sensitivity analysis. The sensitivity analysis result showed that the modeling result of the SMA being VOC-limited region be still valid for a wide range of input parameters' variation. The estimated ozone concentrations were positively related with the initial VOCs concentrations while were negatively related with the initial NOx concentrations. But, the degree of the variations at each local district was different suggesting area specific characteristics being also important. Among the five local governments, Suwon was chosen to identify other variance through the period from April to September in 2000. The monthly modeling results show different ozone values, but still showing the characteristics of VOCs-limited region. Limitations due to not considering long range transport and transfer from neighbor area, limitation of input data, error between observed data and estimated data are all discussed.

• Journal of Korean Society for Geospatial Information Science
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• v.14 no.2 s.36
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• pp.77-88
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• 2006

Overpopulation has been one of the most serious problem of the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), which consists of the City of Seoul, Incheon, and the whole of Gyeonggi Province. People have been still moving into SMA, especially being concentrated into the fringe of Seoul. This study examines the inner city decline phenomenon of SMA which can be easily found in large cities over the world, based on the demographic data of these area. In addition, this study monitors the imbalance in growing of SMA by analyzing RMI (Rank Mobility Index), and the inverse relation between the self sufficiency of the adjacent area and the commuting rate to Seoul by analyzing commuting data. Even though the total population has been unchanged, the internal change of population was substantial. The growth of Seoul Metro region was placed near the city of Seoul, especially commuter data reassured the population concentrations. The results will be useful in urban planning and growth management.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.367-379
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• 2010

Future climate changes over the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA) were predicted by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model using future land-use data from the urban growth model (SLEUTH) and forecast fields from ECHAM5/MPI-OM1 GCM (IPCC scenario A1B). Simulations from the SLEUTH model with GIS information (slope, urban, hill-shade, etc.) derived from the water management information system (WAMIS) and the intelligent transportation systems-standard nodes link (ITS-SNL) showed that considerable increase by 17.1% in the fraction of urban areas (FUA) was found within the SMA in 2020. To identify the effects of the urban growth on the temperature and wind variations in the future, WRF simulations by considering urban growth were performed for two seasons (summer and winter) in 2020s (2018~2022) and they were compared with those in the present (2003~2007). Comparisons of model results showed that significant changes in surface temperature (2-meter) were found in an area with high urban growth. On average in model domain, positive increases of $0.31^{\circ}C$ and $0.10^{\circ}C$ were predicted during summer and winter, respectively. These were higher than contributions forced by climate changes. The changes in surface temperature, however, were very small expect for some areas. This results suggested that surface temperature in metropolitan areas like the SMA can be significantly increased only by the urban growth during several decades.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.139-158
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• 2017

CMAQ (Community Multiscale Air Quality Model) simulations were carried out to estimate the potential range of contributions on surface $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations over the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) with the gaseous precursors and Primary Particulate Matters(PPM) available from a recent national emissions inventory. In detail, on top of a base simulation utilizing the 2013 Clean Air Policy Supporting System (CAPSS) emission inventory, a set of Brute Force Method (BFM) simulations after reducing anthropogenic $NO_x$, $SO_2$, $NH_3$, VOCs, and PPM emissions released from area, mobile, and point sources in SMA by 50% were performed in turn. Modeling results show that zero-out contributions(ZOC) of $NH_3$ and PPM emissions from SMA are as high as $4{\sim}5{\mu}g/m^3$ over the region during the modeling period. On the contrary, ZOC of local $NO_x$ and $SO_2$ emissions to SMA $PM_{2.5}$ are less than $1{\mu}g/m^3$. Moreover, model analyses indicate that a wintertime $NO_x$ reduction at least up to 50% increases SMA $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations, probably due to increased HNO3 formation and conversion to aerosols under more abundant ozone and radical conditions after the $NO_x$ reduction. However, a nation-wide $NO_x$ reduction decreased SMA $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations even during winter, which implies that nation-wide reductions would be more effective to curtail SMA $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations than localized efforts.