• Atmosphere
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.257-271
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• 2011

The aim of this study is to examine weather modification by urbanization and human activities. The characteristics of the urban heat island (UHI) and precipitation in Seoul metropolitan area of Korea are investigated to demonstrate that cities can change or modify local and nearby weather and climate, and to confirm that cities can initiate convection, change the behavior of convective precipitation, and enhance downstream precipitation. The data used in this study are surface meteorological station data observed in Seoul and its nearby 5 cities for the period of 1960 to 2009, and 162 Automatic Weather System stations data observed in the Seoul metropolitan area from 1998 to 2009. Air temperature and precipitation amount tend to increase with time, and relative humidity decreases because of urbanization. Similar to previous studies for other cities, the average maximum UHI is weakest in summer and is strong in autumn and winter, and the maximum UHI intensity is more frequently observed in the nighttime than in the daytime, decreases with increasing wind speed, and is enhanced for clear skies. Relatively warm regions extend in the east-west direction and relatively cold regions are located near the northern and southern mountains inside Seoul. The satellite cities in the outskirts of Seoul have been rapidly built up in recent years, thus exhibiting increases in near-surface air temperature. The yearly precipitation amount during the last 50 years is increased with time but rainy days are decreased. The heavy rainfall events of more than $20mm\;hr^{-1}$ increases with time. The substantial changes observed in precipitation in Seoul seem to be linked with the accelerated increase in the urban sprawl in recent decades which in turn has induced an intensification of the UHI effect and enhanced downstream precipitation. We also found that the frequency of intense rain showers has increased in Seoul metropolitan area.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.819-826
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• 2015

This study measured temperatures and albedos of urban surfaces for different colors and materials during summer, and calculated the energy budget over different urban surfaces to find out the thermal performance affecting the heat built-up. The study selected six surface colors and 13 materials common in urban landscape. Their surface temperatures (Ts) and albedos were measured at a given time interval in the daytime from June to August. Average Ts over summer season for asphalt-colored brick was $4.0^{\circ}C$ higher than that for light red-colored one and $9.7^{\circ}C$ higher than that for white-colored one. The Ts for artificial surface materials of asphalt paving, brown brick wall, and green concrete wall was $6.0^{\circ}C$ higher than that for natural and semi-natural ones of grass, grassy block, and planted concrete wall. There was the greatest difference of $16.3^{\circ}C$ at midafternoon in the Ts between asphalt paving and planted concrete wall. Average albedo over summer season of surface materials ranged from 0.08 for asphalt paving to 0.67 for white concrete wall. This difference in the albedo was associated with a maximum of $15.7^{\circ}C$ difference at midafternoon in the Ts. Increasing the albedo by 0.1 (from 0.22 to 0.32) reduced the Ts by about $1.3^{\circ}C$. Average storage heat at midday by natural and semi-natural surfaces of grass and grassy block was about 10% lower than that by artificial ones of asphalt, light-red brick, and concrete. Reflected radiation, which ultimately contributes to heating the urban atmosphere, was 3.7 times greater for light-red brick and concrete surfaces than for asphalt surface. Thus, surfaces with in-between tone and color are more effective than dark- or white-colored ones, and natural or semi-natural surfaces are much greater than artificial ones in improving the urban thermal environment. This study provides new information on correlation between Ts and air temperature, relationship between albedo and Ts, and the energy budget.

• Atmosphere
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.131-147
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• 2019

On the urban scale, Micro-climate analysis models for urban scale have been developed to investigate the atmospheric characteristics in urban surface in detail and to predict the micro-climate change due to the changes in urban structure. BioCAS (Biometeorological Climate Impact Assessment System) is a system that combines such analysis models and has been implemented internally in the Korea Meteorological Administration. One of role in this system is the analysis of the health impact by heat waves in urban area. In this study, the vegetation cooling models A and B were developed and linked with BioCAS and evaluated by the temperature drop at the vegetation areas during ten selected heat-wave days. Smaller prediction errors were found as a result of applying the vegetation cooling models to the heat-wave days. In addition, it was found that the effects of the vegetation cooling models produced different results according to the distribution of vegetation area in land cover near each observation site - the improvement of the model performance on temperature analysis was different according to land use at each location. The model A was better fitted where the surrounding vegetation ratio was 50% or more, whereas the model B was better where the vegetation ratio was less than 50% (higher building and impervious areas). Through this study, it should be possible to select an appropriate vegetation cooling model according to its fraction coverage so that the temperature analysis around built-up areas would be improved.

• Atmosphere
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.143-156
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• 2021

This study investigates the impacts of land cover change due to urbanization on the Urban Heat Island Intensity (UHII) and the Heat Index (HI) over the Seoul metropolitan area using the Unified Model (UM) with the Met Office Reading Urban Surface Exchange Scheme (MORUSES) during the heat wave from 16, July to 5, August 2018. Two simulations are performed with the late 1980s land-use (EXP1980) and the late 2000s land-use (EXP2000). EXP2000 is verified using Automatic Weather Station (AWS) data from 85 points in the study area, and observation sites are classified into two categories according to the urban fraction change over 20 years; Category A is 0.2 or less increase, and Category B is 0.2 or more increase. The 1.5-m temperature and relative humidity in Category B increase by up to 1.1℃ and decreased by 7% at 1900 LST and 2000 LST, respectively. This means that the effect of the urban fraction changes is higher at night. UHII increases by up to 0.3℃ in Category A and 1.3℃ in Category B at 1900 LST. Analysis of the surface energy balance shows that the heat store for a short time during the daytime and release at nighttime with upward sensible heat flux. As a result of the HI, there is no significant difference between the two experiments during the daytime, but it increases 1.6℃ in category B during the nighttime (2200 LST). The results indicate that the urbanization increase both UHII, and HI, but the times of maximum difference between EXP1980 and EXP2000 are different.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.151-157
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• 1996

Vehicle occupant exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) continues to be the subject of active research because of higher levels of VOCs in vehicles than in the surrounding ambient atmosphere and because of potential health risk. This study identified in-auto and in-bus exposures to 6 selected aromatic VOCs during rush-hour driving. A bus service route was selected to include an urban route (Taegu) and a suburban route (Hayang-Up) to satisfy the specified criteria of this study. The most abundant VOC concentration measured in this study was toluene. In-vehicle target Voc concentrations of the urban route were significantly different from those of the suburban segment. On the sum of average of the target VOCs, in-auto VOC concentration was about 1.5 times higher than in-bus VOC concentration. Based on the sum of average, in-automobile target VOC concentrations of this study were within the range of previous studies conducted in several cities of the United States, while in-bus VOC concentrations of this study were much lower than those of Taipei in Taiwan. In-vehicle VOC concentrations of present study significantly varied with sampling days, while they did not varied with driving period.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.11-14
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• 2003

Development pollution control strategies relies on photo-chemical transport models. These models integrate of mesoscale meteorological models with chemical moduls. In this study, the PSU/NCAR mesoscale meteorological model with CAMx is used to investigate the temporal and spatial dynamics of the photochemical air pollution in urban atmosphere of Istanbul for selected high ozone days. The ozone climatology for the selected days and model simulations are presented.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2017

A high resolution model is proposed for calculating the temperature field of a large city, based upon a Lagrangian particle model. Utilizing the analogy between the heat and mass transport phenomena in turbulent flows, a Lagrangian particle model, originally developed for air pollutant dispersion problems, is adapted for simulating heat transport. In the model conceptual heat particles are released into the atmosphere from the heat sources and move along with the turbulent winds in accordance with the Markov process. The potential temperature assumed to be conserved along with heat particles serves as a tag, so the temperature fields can be deduced from the distribution of particles. The wind fields are constructed from a diagnostic meteorology model incorporating a morphological model designed for building flows. Test run shows the robustness of the modeling system.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Urban Environment
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.523-530
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• 2018

Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997, set the obligation to reduce $CO_2$, $CH_4$, $N_2O$, HFCs, PFCs, and $SF_6$ in developed countries during 1st promised period. $SF_6$ has been drawing a lot of attention since the Kyoto Protocol because once it is released into the atmosphere, it not only stays in the atmosphere for more than 3,200 years but also emits 22,800 times stronger global warming potential at the same concentrations as $CO_2$ if remains in the atmosphere for 100 years. This study introduces 12 methods for $SF_6$ of measuring trace. $SF_6$ of trace level in the atmosphere correctly, the measurement method was changed and as a result, when the back flush method was applied to the pre-concentration system that used low-temperature concentration and high-temperature desorption system, which used Carboxen-1000 adsorption trap, the effect was the best.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 1986

Particulate matter was collected by Andersen Air Sampler in the Seoul area during February-October, 1985, in order to investigate size distribution of sulfate and nitrate in aerosol, and conversion of sulfur dioxide to sulfate and that of nitrogen dioxide to nitrate. The size distribution of sulfate and nitrate had fine mode. The ratio of fine sulfate to total sulfate in aerosol and that of fine nitrate to total nitrate showed between 54.6% and 86%, and 55.7% and 95%, respectively, which presumably originated from gaseous reaction of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.65-66
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• 1999

도시지역의 시정변화는 일정한 경향성을 지니는 일부 오염물질들의 배출에 의해 지배적인 영향을 받는 것으로 보고되고 있다. Sulfate, nitrate는 대기중의 상대습도와 밀접한 관계를 지니고 있어서, 일일주기로 증감하는 수증기와의 반응에 의하여 입자의 크기가 성장ㆍ감소하여 대상물체의 이미지 형성광(image forming light)을 산란시킴으로써 관측자의 시야 경로부터 빛을 이탈시키는 현상을 나타낸다.(중략)