Baengnyeongdo, located within the Asian dust stream, is an ideal place to analyze Asian dust moving into the West Sea due to its low emission of artificial pollutants. Baengnyeongdo is being used to analyze the vertical distribution of dust from the lower atmosphere to the upper layer through remote observation. This study compared the ground concentration of dust between Baengnyeongdo and the metropolitan area, estimated the lag time of transport of Asian dust from Baengnyeongdo to the metropolitan area, and examined the homogeneity of upper winds using the rawinsonde method. The results showed that the cross correlation coefficient was higher and the lag time was shorter for each observation station when the distance from Baengnyeongdo was shorter. The upper wind at Baengnyeongdo is dominated by the west/northwest wind. It is the basis for the correlation of dust concentration between Baengnyeongdo and the metropolitan area located to the east. In the future, upper wind data and Asian dust concentration data over the West Sea and Baengnyeongdo are expected to contribute to research related to the movement and prediction of Asian dust and preparation for Asian dust in the metropolitan area.

This study analyzed the temporal and spatial characteristics of water quality for five hydropower dam reservoirs in South Korea. Water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) showed high fluctuations in summer and autumn at all reservoirs, indicating the existence of seasonal effects. At all five reservoirs, the concentrations of suspended solids (SS) and total nitrogen (TN) fell under the “slightly bad” category and those of total organic carbon (TOC) fell under the “slightly good” category or higher, according to “the standard for living environment of lake water quality.” Variations in the concentration ranges and degrees of change in SS, TN, and TOC among reservoirs were observed, indicating the influences of rainfall, surrounding environments, and seasonal changes. Daecheong and Namgang Dam showed high Chl-a concentrations in summer, indicating that the metabolism of microbial communities, such as algae, was active.