In East Asia, the long-range transport of dust storms originating from Mongolia and northern China affects airborne dust loadings over downwind areas in the southern Korean Peninsula. Since 1997, dust loading cases caused by dust storms have been observed using the thresholds of total suspended particles (TSP, ≥250 μg m−3 hr−1 ) and particulate matter less than 10 μg (PM10, ≥190 μg m−3 hr−1 ) in the central-southern Korean Peninsula. There were two dust loading cases that exceeded these thresholds in 2016 and three in 2017, which reflects the downward trend of the last twenty-one years in the central-southern Korean Peninsula. Furthermore, five other dust loading cases with mass concentrations lower than the thresholds were observed from 2016 to 2017. In the moderate dust loading cases exceeding the thresholds, a descending motion of cut-off lows below 45 o N and a southward trough at 500 hPa gpm isopleths intensified at the western ridge, and largely extended the surface high-pressure system over southeast China. Airborne dust loadings following pronounced north-westerlies in the forward side of the high-pressure system were transported to the surface of the central-southern Korean Peninsula. However, in slight dust loading cases lower than the thresholds, the restricted descending motion of cut-off lows over 45 o N and the southwestward trough at 500 hPa gpm isopleths intensified the zonal flow over the Korean Peninsula. Surface high- and low-pressure systems moved eastward from the source compared to moderate dust loading cases. Due to the zonal movement of dust storms traversing eastern China, slight dust loading cases were observed with relatively higher ratios of PM2.5/TSP and carbon monoxide (CO) in the central-southern Korean Peninsula.

Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Data and Analyzing Methods
    2.1. Background measurements of TSP andPM10
    2.2. Satellite and meteorological data
3. Results and Discussions
    3.1. Observations of dust storms and associateddust loading cases
    3.2. Classification of synoptic features fordust loading cases
    3.3. Upper-level features of moderate andslight dust loading cases
    3.4. Backward trajectory analysis
4. Conclusions
References

• Hak-Sung Kim(Department of Earth Science Education, Korean National University of Education) Corresponding author
• Jae-Hee Cho(Department of Earth Science Education, Korean National University of Education)