• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.30
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• pp.10.1-10.14
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• 2015

Recent cohort studies have relied on exposure prediction models to estimate individual-level air pollution concentrations because individual air pollution measurements are not available for cohort locations. For such prediction models, geographic variables related to pollution sources are important inputs. We demonstrated the computation process of geographic variables mostly recorded in 2010 at regulatory air pollution monitoring sites in South Korea. On the basis of previous studies, we finalized a list of 313 geographic variables related to air pollution sources in eight categories including traffic, demographic characteristics, land use, transportation facilities, physical geography, emissions, vegetation, and altitude. We then obtained data from different sources such as the Statistics Geographic Information Service and Korean Transport Database. After integrating all available data to a single database by matching coordinate systems and converting non-spatial data to spatial data, we computed geographic variables at 294 regulatory monitoring sites in South Korea. The data integration and variable computation were performed by using ArcGIS version 10.2 (ESRI Inc., Redlands, CA, USA). For traffic, we computed the distances to the nearest roads and the sums of road lengths within different sizes of circular buffers. In addition, we calculated the numbers of residents, households, housing buildings, companies, and employees within the buffers. The percentages of areas for different types of land use compared to total areas were calculated within the buffers. For transportation facilities and physical geography, we computed the distances to the closest public transportation depots and the boundary lines. The vegetation index and altitude were estimated at a given location by using satellite data. The summary statistics of geographic variables in Seoul across monitoring sites showed different patterns between urban background and urban roadside sites. This study provided practical knowledge on the computation process of geographic variables in South Korea, which will improve air pollution prediction models and contribute to subsequent health analyses.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.23-33
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• 2006

The factor of air pollution in a large industrial city is not only manufactories but also, activities related to trucks. Sihwa National Industrial Complex is located in Siheung City; due to the industries, more diverse activities related to trucks occur in Siheung City than other cities. In particular, the new residential area in Siheung City is close to the industrial complex; so, the damage of this residential area is expected that it would be more serious and vulnerable than other areas. The aim of this study is to analyze influence of the air pollution by a truck in Siheung City. ISCST3 Model and Arc View program were used for this study and Siheung City was divided into 1,000 meter by 1,000 meter grid to analyze. Furthermore, this study suggested two reduction controls of air pollution in Siheung City, and analyzed the results from these reduction managements. The results of the present condition showed that residences located in north of Sihwa Industrial Complex are influenced by air pollution material. Furthermore, air pollution by trucks has affected on the residents which is near the road in Siheung City. Therefore, this study suggested two reduction controls by the Traffic System Management. The first alternative plan is setting the truck traffic limitation zone in the road that is located in south of resident areas and many trucks traffic. Next, the second alternative plan is setting freight truck way on the most traffic road to enter the industrial complex. The reduction effect of the first alternative is good on the residential area. And, the second alternate about freight truck way is divided passenger cars into trucks. Therefore, there are increase of average speed and decrease of average concentration, and spatial reduction effects found in wide areas.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.625-638
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• 1999

Air quality modeling for coastal urban region has been composed of a complex system including meteorological, chemical and physical processes and emission characteristics in complex terrain. In this study, we studied about an effect prediction for deposition phenomenon affecting on air quality in Pusan metopolitan metropolitan city. In air quality modeling including ship sources, a situation considered deposition process habe better result than not considered when compared with observed value. Air pollutants emitted into urban air during the daytime nearly removed through urban atmosphere polluted. Also these phenomena correlated concentration variation connent with sea/land breezes and terrain effect. Therefore we conclude that the concentration was low at daytime when deposition flux is high, and deposition effect on industrial complex and Dongrae region is considerable in particular.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2007.10a
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• pp.556-559
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• 2007

The Urban Environmental Quality (UEQ) indicates a complex and various parameters resulting from both human and natural factors in an urban area. Vegetation, climate, air quality, and the urban infrastructure may interact to produce effects in an urban area. There are relationships among air pollution, vegetation, and degrading environmental the urban heat island (UHI) effect. This study investigates the application of multi-spectral remote sensing data from the Landsat ETM and TM sensors for the mapping of air quality and UHI intensity in Seoul from 2000 to 2006 in fine resolution (30m) using the emissivity-fusion method. The Haze Optimized Transform (HOT) correction approach has been adopted for atmospheric correction on all bands except thermal band. The general UHI values (${\Delta}(T_{urban}-T_{rural})$) are 8.45 (2000), 9.14 (2001), 8.61 (2002), and $8.41^{\circ}C$ (2006), respectively. Although the UHI values are similar during these years, the spatial coverage of "hot" surface temperature (>$24^{\circ}C$) significantly increased from 2000 to 2006 due to the rapid urban development. Furthermore, high correlations between vegetation index and land surface temperature were achieved with a correlation coefficients of 0.85 (2000), 0.81 (2001), 0.84(2002), and 0.89 (2006), respectively. Air quality is shown to be an important factor in the spatial variation of UEQ. Based on the quantifiable fine resolution satellite image parameters, UEQ can promote the understanding of the complex and dynamic factors controlling urban environment.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.517-528
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• 2011

Indiscreet developments cause environmental problems in major cities of Seoul Metropolitan Area. Among the environmental problems, the air pollution leads the citizens' physical and economic damages. Therefore, it needs to predict how much air pollutant which is emitted from human activities can be carried by urban environment, then to examine the reasonable level of urban development This study assumed that the air pollution is represented differently by the amount of emission. With the assumption, the acceptable air pollutant emission which keeps the air quality under the environmental standard is estimated, then the proper population is calculated in the case of Gwacheon, Gyeonggi. The result is as follow: First, air pollution concentrations of CO, $NO_2$, $SO_2$ which are estimated by using IDW interpolation of GIS don't excess the air environmental standard. Second, the result of correlation analysis between air pollutant emission and air pollution concentration shows that CO and $NO_2$ has high correlationship with total source of pollution and linear source of pollution, and $SO_2$ with linear source of pollution. Third, the results of regression analysis show that the acceptable population is bigger that the real population in the case of CO, and with the estimation of $NO_2$ and $SO_2$, the current population in the urban center and boundaries where the residential and commerce land uses are concentrated is bigger than the acceptable population. The consequence of this study is that the estimation of carrying capacity can suggest the acceptable human activities which keep the air quality under the environmental standard. This can leads the sustainable urban development by control the human activities under the carrying capacity of urban environment.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.42-54
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• 2010

Automobile emissions have caused a major hydrocarbon pollution problem in the ambient air of many cities around the world. This study was conducted to measure the pollution status of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in some urban residential areas in Seoul, Korea. A total of 20 VOCs (11 aromatic and 9 chlorinated species) were identified at 4 urban residential sites in Seoul, Korea from February 2009 to July 2009. Comparison of total VOC (TVOC) concentration data indicated the dominance of the aromatic species with the maximum (72.2 ppbC) at Jong Ro (JR) and the minimum at Yang Jae (33.4 ppbC). The peak concentration of TVOC occurred during spring at all sites with an exception at Gang Seo (GS), where it was recorded during winter. The distribution of individual VOCs at the study sites was characterized by high toluene concentration. A strong correlation of benzene was also observed with other VOCs and criteria pollutants at all sites (except YJ). The overall results of this study suggest that vehicular emissions have greatly contributed to the increase in VOC pollution at all the study sites.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.61-75
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• 2014

Five on-road measurements were made using a mobile laboratory (ML) to characterize spatial and temporal air pollutant distributions over roads around a day-care center in urban area on 30 August 2013. Fixed monitoring was also done near the day-care center using the ML during the periods between on-road measurements. On-road air pollution monitoring route was classified into seven sections and three zones to identify severe polluted roads among many roads having different traffic volumes and directions. Typical pollutants emitted from vehicles such as $NO_x$, black carbon, particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and submicron particles including nanoparticles were monitored using real-time instruments. Peak concentration episodes were frequently observed during the on-road measurements and most peaks were simultaneously monitored at four pollutants. Colored on-road air pollution map for each pollutant provides an insight on spatial air pollution distribution, showing heavily polluted roads and sections. Average on-road $NO_x$ concentration of each run was similar to that monitored at the nearest roadside air monitoring station.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.59-77
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of traffic-related air pollution on the urban population in the Metropolitan Seoul area. In particular, this study analyzes urban population exposure to traffic-related particulate materials(PM). For the purpose, this study examines the relationships between traffic flows and PM concentration levels during the last fifteen years. Traffic volumes have been decreased significantly in recent year in Seoul, however, PM levels have been declined less compare to traffic volumes. It may be related with the rapid growth in the population and vehicle numbers in Gyenggi, the outskirt of Seoul, where several New Towns have been developed in the middle of 1990's. The spatial pattern of commuting has changed, and thus and travel distances and traffic volumes have increased along the main roads connecting CBDs in Seoul and New Towns consisting of large residential apartment complexes. These changes in traffic flows and travel behaviors cause increasing exposure to traffic-related air pollution for urban population over the Metropolitan Seoul area. GIS techniques are applied to analyze the spatial patterns of traffic flows, population distributions, PM distributions, and passenger flows comprehensively. This study also analyzes real time base traffic flow data and passenger flow data obtained from T-card transaction database applying data mining techniques. This study also attempts to develop a space-time model for assessing journey-time exposure to traffic related air pollutants based on travel passenger frequency distribution function. The results of this study can be used for the implications for sustainable transport systems, public health and transportation policy by reducing urban air pollution and road traffics in the Metropolitan Seoul area.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.15-24
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• 2014

The capital city of Himalayan Country Nepal, Kathmandu Valley is surrounded by consecutive high mountains, which limits the air distribution and mixing effects significantly. It in turn generates steady air flow pattern over a year except in monsoon season. The air shed in the Valley is easily trapped by the surrounded mountains and the inversion layer formulated as the cap. The $PM_{10}$ concentration was noticeably higher than the standard level (120 ${\mu}g/m^3$) in urban and suburban area of Kathmandu valley for all seasons except monsoon period. The Valley area experiences similar wind patterns (W, WWS, and S) for a year but the Easterly wind prevails only during the monsoon period. There was low and calm wind blows during the winter season. Because of this air flow structure, the air emission from various sources is accumulated within the valley air, high level of air pollution is frequently recorded with other air polluted cities over the world. In this Valley area, brick kilns are recognized as the major air pollution source followed by vehicles. Mostly Bull Trench Kiln (BKT), Hoffman Kiln and Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) are in operation for brick firing in Kathmandu valley where the fuels such as crushed coal, saw dust, and natural gas are used for processing bricks in this study. Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI) was used for screening and quantifying the potential impacts of air emission from firing fuels. The total Environmental Performance Score (EPS) was estimated and the EPS of coal was approximately 2.5 times higher than those of natural gas and saw dust. It is concluded that the crushed coal has more negative impact to the environment and human health than other fuel sources. Concerning the human health and environment point of view, alternative environment friendly firing fuel need to be used for brick industry in the kiln and the air pollution control devices also need to be applied for minimizing the air emissions from the kilns.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.296-297
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• 2005