• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.434-447
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• 2016

This study analyzed mass concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5, as measured at Tae-ahn and Gang-nae, Cheongju in central Korea over the period from 2011 to 2015. Higher mass concentrations of PM10, with the exception of dustfall cases during the period of winter and spring, reflected the influence of a prevailing westerly airflow, while the level of PM10 stayed at a low level in summer, reflecting the influence of North Pacific air mass and frequent rainfall. Accordingly, cases where a daily PM10 average of $81{\mu}gm^{-3}$ or over (exceeding the status of fine dust particles being 'a little bit bad') were often observed during the period of winter and spring, with more cases occurring in parts of Tae-ahn that are located close to the sources of pollutant emission in eastern China. Dustfall usually originated from dust storms made up of particles $2.5{\mu}m$ or over in diameter. However, anthropogenic haze displayed a high composition ratio of particulate less than $2.5{\mu}m$ in diameter. Accordingly, brightness temperature difference (BTD) values from the Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) were $-0.5^{\circ}K$ or over in haze with fine particulate. PM10 mass concentrations and NOAA 19 satellite BTD for haze cases were analyzed. Though PM10 mass concentrations were found to be lower than $200{\mu}g\;m^{-3}$, the mass concentration ratio of PM2.5/PM10 was measured as higher than 0.4 and BTD was found to be distributed in the range from -0.3 to $0.5^{\circ}K$. However, the BTD of dustfall cases exceeding $190{\mu}g\;m^{-3}$, were found to be less than 0.4 and BTD was found to be distributed in the range less than $-0.7^{\circ}K$. The result of applying BTD threshold values of the large-scale transport of haze proved to fall into line with the range over which aerosols of MODIS AOD and OMI AI were distributed.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.34 no.2_1
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• pp.213-225
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• 2018

In order to access the accuracy of the gridded daily Advanced Scatterometer (hereafter DASCAT) ocean surface wind data in the surrounding of Korea, the DASCAT was compared with the wind data from buoys. In addition, the reanalysis data for wind at 10 m provided by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF, hereafter ECMWF), National Centers for Environmental Prediction and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR, hereafter NCEP), Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications-2 (MERRA-2, hereafter MERRA) were compared and analyzed. As a result, the RMSE of DASCAT for the actual wind speed is about 3 m/s. The zonal components of wind of buoys and the DASCAT have strong correlation more than 0.8 and the meridional components of wind them have lower correlation than that of zonal wind and are the lowest in the Yellow Sea (r=0.7). When the actual wind speed is below 10 m/s, the EMCWF has the highest accuracy, followed by DASCAT, MERRA, and NCEP. However, under the wind speed more than 10 m/s, DASCAT shows the highest accuracy. In the nature of error according to the wind direction, when the zonal wind is strong, all dataset has the error of more than $70^{\circ}$ on the average. On the other hand, the RMSE of wind direction was recorded $50^{\circ}$ under the strong meridional winds. ECMWF shows the highest accuracy in these results. The RMSE of the wind speed according to the wind direction varied depending on the actual wind direction. Especially, MERRA has the highest RMSE under the westerly and southerly wind condition, while the NCEP has the highest RMSE under the easterly and northerly wind condition.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.196-205
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• 2008

Variability in vertical ozone and meteorological profiles was measured by 2Z electrochemical concentration cells (ECC) ozonesonde at Bangyi in Seoul ($37.52^{\circ}N$, $127.13^{\circ}E$) during June $6{\sim}9$, 2003 in odor to identify the vertical distribution of ozone and its relationship with the lower-atmospheric structure resulted in the high ozone concentrations near the surface. The eight profiles obtained in the early morning and the late afternoon during the study period clearly showed that the substantial change of ozone concentrations in lower atmosphere(${\sim}5\;km$), indicating that it is tightly coupled to the variation of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) structure as well as the background synoptic flow. All profiles observed early in the morning showed very low ozone concentrations near the surface with strong vertical gradients in the nocturnal stable boundary layer due to the photochemical ozone loss caused by surface NO titration under very weak vertical mixing. On the other hand, relatively uniform ozone profiles in the developed mixing layer and the ozone peaks in the upper PBL, were observed in the late afternoon. It was noted that a significant increase in ozone concentrations in the lower atmosphere occurred with the corresponding decrease of the mixing height in the late afternoon on June 8. Ozone in upper layer did not vertically vary much compared to that in PBL but changed significantly on June 6 that was closely associated with the variation of synoptic flows. Interestingly, heavily polluted ozone layers aloft (a maximum value of 115 ppb around 2 km) were formed early in the morning on 6 through 7 June under dominant westerly synoptic flows. This indicates the effects of the transport of pollutants on regional scale and consequently can give a rise to increase the surface ozone concentration by downward mixing processes enhanced in the afternoon.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.134-140
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• 2012

Asian dust storms originating in the arid desert of China and Mongolia usually occur from late winter through spring, and more than one million tons of dust per year is transported to the Korean Peninsula by the prevalent westerly winds. We supposed that these dust particles could include bioaerosols and act as carriers of microorganisms. In order to clarify the dynamics of microorganisms moving with these particles, the concentration and composition of microorganisms associated with settled particles were compared between samples collected during Asian dust events and those under non-dust periods. From February to April 2008, settled dust particles were collected at one location in Ulsan using rainfall meter of 200 mm diameter. During this period, there was one Asian dust event in Ulsan. The bacterial concentrations were higher in samples collected during Asian dust event than those under non-dust period, whereas fungal concentrations were rather similar regardless of the Asian dust event. We analyzed 16S rRNA gene sequences of 45 bacterial isolates obtained from the settled particle samples. These isolates belonged to either genus Bacillus or genus Streptococcus and were tentatively identified as B. amyloliquefaciens, B. aryabhattai, B. atrophaeus, B. licheniformis, B. megaterium, B. methylotrophicus, B. pumilus, B. sonorensis, B. subtlis, B. vallismortis, S. epidermidis, and S. succinus. In cases of fungal isolates, genera such as Mucor, Alternaria, Cladosporium, and Aspergillus were tentatively identified from samples collected at both Asian dust and non-Asian dust periods. It appears that endospore-forming bacteria such as Bacillus sp. rather than fungal spores are more likely to be associated with Asian dust particles.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.573-583
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• 2005

[ $PM_{10}\;and\;PM_{2.5}$ ] aerosols were collected at Busan from March, 2004 to December, 2004, and the concentrations of some metal elements were chemically analyzed to study their characteristics. The mean concentration of $PM_{10}$ was $58.2{\mu}g/m^3$ with a range of 8.3 to $161.1{\mu}g/m^3$. The mean concentration of $PM_{2.5}$ was $29.3{\mu}g/m^3$ with a range of 2.8 to $65.3\mu}g/m^3$. The mean mass concentrations of Asian dust and non Asian dust in $PM_{10}$ were $121.5\mu}g/m^3$ and $56.0{\mu}g/,^3$ respectively. The mean values of crustal enrichment factors for six elements (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) were all higher than 10, possibly suggesting the influence of anthropogenic sources. The crustal enrichment factors of some heavy metal elements in non-Asian dust (NAD) were higher than those in Asian dust (AD), possibly due to anthropogenic emissions transported from industries around this area by westerly wind. The soil contribution ratios for $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ were $15.2\%$ and $17.5\%$ on the whole. and those of AD/NAD for $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ were 1.9 and 2.1, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.41 no.2 s.113
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• pp.168-187
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• 2006

Windy meteorological conditions and dried fire fuels due to higher atmospheric instability and dryness in the lower troposphere can exacerbate fire controls and result in more losses of forest resources and residential properties due to enhanced large wildland fires. Long-term (1979-2005) climatology of the Haines Index reconstructed in this study reveals that spatial patterns and intra-annual variability of the atmospheric instability and dryness in the lower troposphere affect the frequency of wildland fire incidences over the Korean Peninsula. Exponential regression models verify that daily high Haines Index and its monthly frequency has statistically significant correlations with the frequency of the wildland fire occurrences during the fire season (December-April) in South Korea. According to the climatic maps of the Haines Index created by the Geographic Information System (GIS) using the Digital Elevation Model (DEM), the lowlands below 500m from the mean sea level in the northwestern regions of the Korean Peninsula demonstrates the high frequency of the Haines Index equal to or greater than five in April and May. The annual frequency of the high Haines Index represents an increasing trend across the Korean Peninsula since the mid-1990s, particularly in Gyeongsangbuk-do and along the eastern coastal areas. The composite of synoptic weather maps at 500hPa for extreme events, in which the high Haines Index lasted for several days consecutively, illustrates that the cold low pressure system developed around the Sea of Okhotsk in the extreme event period enhances the pressure gradient and westerly wind speed over the Korean Peninsula. These results demonstrate the need for further consideration of the spatial-temporal characteristics of vertical atmospheric components, such as atmospheric instability and dryness, in the current Korean fire prediction system.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.6_2
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• pp.1849-1858
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• 2021

We analyzed the monthly and annual trends of the meteorological factors(wind speeds and directions and air temperatures) measured at an automated synoptic observation system (ASOS) and fine particle (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) concentrations measured at the air quality monitoring systems(AQMSs) in Suwon. In addition, we investigated how the fine particle concentrations were related to the meteorological factors as well as urban morphological parameters (fractions of building volume and road area). We calculated the total volume of buildings and the total area of the roads in the area of 2 km × 2 km centered at each AQMS using the geographic information system and environmental geographic information system. The analysis of the meteorological factors showed that the dominant wind directions at the ASOS were westerly and northwesterly and that the average wind speed was strong in Spring. The measured fine particle concentrations were low in Summer and early Autumn (July to September) and high in Spring and Winter. In 2020, the annual mean fine particle concentration was lowest at most AQMSs. The fine particle concentrations were negatively and weakly correlated with the measured wind speeds and air temperatures (the correlation between PM_2.5 concentrations and air temperatures was relatively strong). In Suwon city, at least for 6 AQMSs except for the RAQMS 131116 and AQMS 131118, the PM₁₀ concentrations were affected mainly by the transport from outside rather than primary emission from mobile sources or wind speed decrease caused by buildings and, in the case of PM_2.5, vise versa.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.423-433
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• 2018

Particulate matter air pollution is a serious problem affecting human health and visibility. The variations in $PM_{10}$ concentrations are influenced by not only local emission sources, but also atmospheric circulation conditions. In this study, we investigate the temporal features of $PM_{10}$ concentrations in South Korea and the atmospheric circulation patterns associated with high concentration episodes of $PM_{10}$ during winter (December-January-February) 2001-2016. Based on those analyses, a Korea Particulate matter Index (KPI) is developed to represent the large-scale atmospheric pattern associated with high concentration episodes of $PM_{10}$. The atmospheric patterns are characterized by persistent high-pressure anomalies, weakened lower-level north-westerly anomalies, and northward shift of the upper-level meridional wind anomalies near the Korean Peninsula. To evaluate the change in occurrence of high concentration episodes of $PM_{10}$ under a possible future warmer climate, we apply KPI analysis to CMIP5 climate simulations. Here, historical and two representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) are used. It is found that the occurrence of atmospheric conditions favorable for high $PM_{10}$ concentration episodes tends to increase over South Korea in response to climate change. This suggests that large-scale atmospheric circulation changes under future warmer climate can contribute to increasing high $PM_{10}$ concentration episodes in South Korea.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.133-145
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• 2010

This study examined the characteristics of tropical cyclone(TC) activity over the western North Pacific(WNP) in 2009. Twenty-two TCs formed in 2009, which is slightly below normal(1979~2009 average: 25.8) and most of these occurred during the months of July to October. Most TCs in 2009 was formed over the northern Philippines and the eastern part of the WNP and they moved towards the South China Sea and the east of Japan, resulting in less TC affecting the East China Sea and Korea. The TC activity in 2009 is modulated by the large-scale circulations induced by the El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ and vigorous convection activity over the WNP. As the general characteristics of El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ year, the difference in sea surface temperature between the central Pacific and the eastern Pacific causes an anomalous westerly winds, expanding the WNP monsoon trough farther eastward. Accordingly, TC formation has relatively increased in the east part of the WNP. Active convection activities over the subtropical western Pacific excite a Rossby wave propagating from the South China Sea to mid-latitudes, resulting in an anomalous easterly steering flow in the South China, anomalous northwesterly over the East China Sea and Korea, and anomalous southwesterly over the east of Japan. Summing up, the TCs cannot enter the East China Sea and Korean region and instead they move towards the South China Sea or south-east of Japan. There were no effects of TCs in Korea in 2009. It is anticipated that this study which analyzed unusual TC activity and large-scale circulations in 2009 would help the predictability of TC effects to increase according to climate change in the East Asia.

• Atmosphere
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.87-101
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• 2022

In this paper, the performance improvement for the new KMA's Climate Prediction System (GloSea6), which has been built and tested in 2021, is presented by assessing the bias distribution of basic variables from 24 years of GloSea6 hindcasts. Along with the upgrade from GloSea5 to GloSea6, the performance of GloSea6 can be regarded as notable in many respects: improvements in (i) negative bias of geopotential height over the tropical and mid-latitude troposphere and over polar stratosphere in boreal summer; (ii) cold bias of tropospheric temperature; (iii) underestimation of mid-latitude jets; (iv) dry bias in the lower troposphere; (v) cold tongue bias in the equatorial SST and the warm bias of Southern Ocean, suggesting the potential of improvements to the major climate variability in GloSea6. The warm surface temperature in the northern hemisphere continent in summer is eliminated by using CDF-matched soil-moisture initials. However, the cold bias in high latitude snow-covered area in winter still needs to be improved in the future. The intensification of the westerly winds of the summer Asian monsoon and the weakening of the northwest Pacific high, which are considered to be major errors in the GloSea system, had not been significantly improved. However, both the use of increased number of ensembles and the initial conditions at the closest initial dates reveals possibility to improve these biases. It is also noted that the effect of ensemble expansion mainly contributes to the improvement of annual variability over high latitudes and polar regions.