이 연구의 목적은 2008년 5월 29일 우리나라에 영향을 미치는 황사를 예측하기 위해 WRF-Chem 모델 내 에어로졸 스킴과 광물성 먼지 옵션에 따른 미세먼지 농도 변화와 그에 따른 기상장의 민감도를 분석하는 것이다. 미세먼지의 인위적 배출량에 대해서는 0.5˚±0.5˚ RETRO 전구 배출량을, 광해리의 경우 Fast-J 광해리 스킴을, 그리고 황사 발생량을 추정하기 위해 RADM2 화학메커니즘 및 MADE/SORGAM 에어로졸 시나리오, MOSAIC 8 섹션 에어로졸 시나리오, 그리고 GOCART 먼지 침식 시나리오를 각각 적용하였다. 그 결과 RADM2 화학메커니즘 및 MADE/SORGAM 에어로졸 시나리오가 다른 시나리오들보다 우리나라 황사 먼지 농도와 배경 PM 농도를 더 높게 모사하였다. 그리고 이 시나리오와 서울의 각 대기질 측정망의 평균 PM10 농도와의 비교 결과, 상관계수는 0.67, 평균제곱근오차는 44μgm-3으로 나타났다. 또한 WRF-Chem 모델에서 상기 3가지 시나리오와 이들 시나리오가 없는 순수 기상에서의 온도, 풍속, 경계층 높이, 장파복사의 기상 민감도를 분석한 결과, 1,800-3,000 m 경계층 높이와 2-16ms-1 풍속 U 성분의 공간적 분포가 황사 먼지 발생의 공간적 분포와 유사하게 나타났다. 그리고 GOCART 먼지 침식 시나리오와 RADM2 화학메커니즘 및 MADE/SORGAM 에어로졸 시나리오는 황사 먼지 또는 에어로졸과 기상이 온라인으로 상호작용함으로써 지구장파복사가 더 낮게 모사되었다.

본 연구는 강원도 소재 동해항만에서 발생하는 미세먼지 관리를 위한 환경비용편익을 산출하는 것이다. 항구 인근에 부유하는 미세먼지의 농도는 매우 높은 편이며, 지점에 따라 국가 기준인 100μg/m3 이상으로 관측되는 곳도 있다. 시험대상 항구는 주로 석회석과 석탄을 취급함으로써 미세입자상 물질이 하역시 다량 발생한다. 연구결과 PM10을 기준으로 년간 12톤의 미세먼지가 하역작업 시 발생하는 것으로 밝혀졌다. 덧붙여서 원료물질을 비롯한 다양한 화물을 운송하는 대형차량 및 중장비는 디젤 검댕이를 발생하고, 도로먼지의 비산을 유발한다. 지방정부는 해마다 20억원 이상의 비용을 투자하여 대기중 미세먼지를 제거하고 있다. 편익대비 비용을 산출한 결과 그 효과는 최소 240%에서 최대 720%까지 얻을 수 있는 것으로 나타났다.

이 논문에서는 환경변수의 시계열 분포도 작성과 불확실성 모델링을 위해 시공간영역으로 확장된 다중 가우시안 크리깅을 제안하였다. 다중 가우시안 틀 안에서, 우선 정규점수변환된 환경변수를 결정론적 경향 성분과 확률론적 잔차 성분으로 분해하였다. 그리고 시간 경향 모델 계수의 내삽을 통해 경향 성분의 시계열 공간 분포도를 작성하였다. 정상성 잔차 성분의 시공간 상관 구조는 곱-합 시공간 베리오그램 모델을 이용하여 정량화하였고, 이 베리오그램 모델과 시공간 크리깅을 이용하여 국소적 누적 확률분포함수를 모델링하였다. 이 국소적 누적 확률분포함수로부터 평균값과 조건부 분산을 계산하여 공간분포도 작성과 불확실성 분석에 각각 이용하였다. 제안 기법의 적용성 평가를 위해 인천광역시에서 3년간 13개 관측소에서 측정된 월 평균 미세먼지(PM10) 농도 자료를 이용한 시계열 분포도 작성 사례 연구를 수행하였다. 사례연구 결과, 제안 기법을 통해 기존 공간 정규 크리깅에 비해 작은 편향과 높은 예측 능력을 가진 시계열 미세먼지(PM10) 농도 분포도 작성이 가능함을 확인할 수 있었다. 또한 조건부 분산과 특정 농도값을 초과할 확률값들은 해석을 위한 유용한 보조 정보를 제공하였다.

부산지역에서 PM10 과 PM2.5중의 금속 성분 농도를 파악하기 위하여 2004년 3월부터 2004년 12월까지 조사하였다. PM10의 평균농도는 58.2μg/m3 농도범위는 8.3~161.1μg/m3이었으며, PM2.5의 평균농도는 29.3μg/m3, 농도범위는 2.8~65.3μg/m3였다. PM10의 평균 질량농도는 황사시 121.5μg/m3, 비황사시 56.0μg/m3로 나타났다. 10 이상의 지각농축계수를 보인 성분은 Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb 및 Zn로서 인위적기원을 받은 것으로 추정된다. PM10과 PM2.5 중 미량금속 성분의 지각농축계수는 황사시보다 비황사시에 높게 나타났으며, 인근의 공단지역으로부터 인위적 오염물질이 수송된 것으로 추정된다. PM10과 PM2.5의 토양입자의 평균 기여율은 각각 15.2%와17.5%였다. 토양기여율의 황사/비황사비는 PM10과 PM2.5에서 각각 1.9와 2.1로 나타났다.

This study was conducted to investigate the distribution characteristics, source identification, and health risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in particulate matter 10 (PM-10), in Gwangju. PM-10 samples were collected from September 2021 to August 2022 from three sampling sites, one located in each of the following areas: green, residential, and industrial. The average concentrations of PAHs were found to be higher in the industrial area (9.75±6.51 ng/㎥) than in the green (6.90±2.41 ng/㎥) and residential (6.74±2.38 ng/㎥) areas. Throughout the year and across all sites, five-ring PAHs accounted for the largest proportion (29.8–34.5%) of all PAHs. The concentrations of PAHs showed distinct seasonal variations, with the highest concentration observed in winter, followed by autumn, spring, and summer. Source apportionment analyses were performed using diagnostic ratios and principal component analyses, which indicated that coal/biomass combustion and vehicle emissions were the primary sources of PAHs in PM-10. The incremental lifetime cancer risk was estimated for all age groups at all sampling sites, and the results revealed a much lower risk level than the standard acceptable risk level (1×10-6).

Filter and microbalance sensitivity in measuring fine particulate matter mass is greatly influenced by particulate properties and environmental factors. Temperature and humidity control inside a measuring chamber with a microbalance, and neutralization of static charges on filters are essential for consistent filter weighing. Commercial weighing chambers are expensive with a unit price of tens of millions won. This study developed an inexpensive weighing chamber for weighing fine particulate matter and evaluatedits weighing performance. A microbalance with 1 μg precision was used to measure the weight of a filter. The microbalance was set in a transparent acrylic enclosure (100 x 60 x 65 cm3) equipped with temperature and humidity control equipments. Weighing performance of the chamber was examined using Teflon filters with or without different particulate sample types. Temperature and humidity were maintained at approximately 23.2±1.2 ℃ and 36.2±1.8℃ for 8 days, respectively.

This study investigated the effect of May 31, 2022 Miryang wildfire on fine particle concentrations in Busan and Gimhae, which are neighboring urban areas. In addition, fine particle characteristics and air pollution concentrations were investigated in Miryang, where haze occurred. The Miryang city wildfire that occurred on May 31, 2022, at 0925 LST, was driven by strong north winds and increased fine particle concentrations in Dongsangdong and Jangyoodong, Gimhae City, which are approximately 35 km to the southeast and south, respectively, of the wildfire occurrence site. Furthermore, the fine particle concentration in Myeongjidong, which is approximately 50 km south-southeast of the wildfire site, exhibited a temporary increase at 1400 LST owing to the effects of wildfire smoke. On the morning of June 1, the day after the fire, the Miryang area had very bad visibility because of the smoke from the fire. Therefore the PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in Naeildong, 3 km south of the wildfire site, were 276 μg/㎥ and 222 μg/㎥, respectively, at 1200 LST. In addition, the gases O3, CO, and SO2 showed high concentrations at the time of haze generation. This study provides insights into policy making in response to the rapid increase in fine dust when wildfire occurs near cities.

This study investigated the effect of volcanic materials that erupted from the Nishinoshima volcano, Japan, 1,300 km southeast of the Busan area at the end of July 2020, on the fine particle concentration in the Busan area. Backward trajectory analysis from the HYSPLIT model showed that the air parcel from the Nishinoshima volcano turned clockwise along the edge of the North Pacific high pressure and reached the Busan area. From August 4 to August 5, 2020, the concentration of PM10 and PM2.5 in Busan started to increase rapidly from 1000 LST on August 4, and showed a high concentration for approximately 13 hours until 2400 LST. The PM2.5/PM10 ratio showed a relatively high value of 0.7 or more, and the SO2 concentration also showed a high value at the time when the PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were relatively high. The SO4 2- concentration in PM2.5 in Busan showed a similar trend to the change in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations. It rose sharply from 1300 LST on August 4, at the time where it was expected to have been affected by the Nishinoshima Volcano. This study has shown that the occurrence of high concentration fine particle in Busan in summer has the potential to affect Korea not only due to anthropogenic factors but also from natural causes such as volcanic eruptions in Japan.

This study investigated the weather conditions, fine particle concentration, and ion components in PM2.5 when two cold fronts passed through Busan in succession on February 1 and 2, 2021. A analysis of the surface weather chart, AWS, and backward trajectory revealed that the first cold front passed through the Busan at 0900 LST on February 1, 2021, with the second cold front arriving at 0100 LST on February 2, 2021. According to the PM10 concentration of the KMA, the timing of the cold front passage had a close relationship with the occurrence of the highest concentration of fine particles. The transport time of the cold front from Baengnyeongdo to Mt. Gudeok was approximately 11 hours . The PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in Busan started to increase after the first cold front had passed, and the maximum concentration occurred two hours after the second cold front passed. The SO4 2-, NO3 -, and NH4 + concentration in PM2.5 started to increase from 1100 to 1200 LST on February 1, after the first cold front passed, and peaked at 0100 LST to 0300 LST on February 2. However, the highest Ca2+ concentration was recorded 2-3 hours after the second cold front had passed.

This research investigated the effect of the eruption of Japan Sakurajima volcano on the concentration of ultrafine particle when the north Pacific high pressure exists in the Busan in summer. As a result of analyzing the forward trajectory using the HYSPLIT model, the air parcel from Sakurajima volcano passed through the sea in front of Busan at 1500 LST on July 17, 24 hours after the volcanic eruption. As a result of analyzing the PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in the Busan for two days from July 16 to 17, 2018, the Sakurajima eruption in Japan, it can be seen that there was a high increase in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations compared to the previous day. As a result of analyzing the backward trajectory, the air mass that reached Busan at 1300 LST on July 17, 2018 has moved near the Sakurajima volcano at 1,500 m, 2,000 m, and 3,000 m. The concentration of SO4 2- in PM2.5, the concentration of all three stations in Busan showed a sharp increase from 1000 LST on July 17th. Looking at the NH4 + concentration in PM2.5, it shows a very similar variation trend to SO4 2-, and the correlation coefficient between the two components is 0.96 for Jangrimdong and Yeonsandong, and 0.85 for Busan New Port. Looking at the NO3 - concentration in PM2.5, the same high concentrations as SO4 2- and NH4 + were not observed in the afternoon of July 17th.

This study was conducted to propose a way to increase the accuracy and precision of β-ray measurement equipment. Statistical processing results of equivalent evaluation data from 2016 to 2021 confirmed that the concentration of micro dust measured by β-ray measurement equipment was higher than that of micro dust sampler. According to quarterly data, it was confirmed that the data from the third quarter (July to September) showed a different trend from other periods, which is assumed to be due to weather conditions. This study indicates that automatic micro-dust measurement equipment evaluation at air pollution measuring stations during the third quarter should be excluded. The evaluation cycle should be changed from once every two years to quarterly. In addition, when the criterion for determining equivalence evaluation falls within the range of the slope and intercept values of the existing trend line, it is necessary to evaluate the R2 value together and reduce the slope from 0.9-1.1 to 0.9-1.0.

Today’s cities require deeper understanding of the thermal environment and PM10 as their management becomes more critical. Based on these circumstances, this study investigated the Granger causality between the thermal environment and PM10 of the 25 districts of Seoul, the most populous and urbanized city in Korea. The results of the Granger causality test on the thermal environment and PM10 were classified into 12 types. Except for type 12, the temperature and urban island heat intensity of the other 11 types operated as a Granger-cause to each other in both directions. Temperature operates as a Granger-cause of urban island heat intensity in type 12. The PM10 level and urban pollution island intensity operated as a Granger-cause to each other in all districts. For types 1 and 2, thermal environment operated as a Granger-cause to PM10 in one direction, and type 3–type 12 confirmed that thermal environment and PM10 operated as a Granger-cause in both directions. Findings reveal the intricate c

This study analyzed the characteristics of high PM2.5 episodes that meets the concentration criteria of Emergency Reduction Measures Plan (ERMP) in Busan during the 2015-2020, and compared with those in Seoul. As a first step, the CAPSS-2017 emission data was employed to analyze the emission differences between Busan and Seoul, and pointed out that Busan emission included the dominance of ship emissions (37.7%) among total PM2.5 city emissions, whereas fugitive PM2,5 emission was the highest in Seoul. These emission characteristics are indicating that the controlling action plan should be uniquely applied to cope with ERMP in each region. We selected extremely high PM2.5 episode days that meet the criteria of ERMP levels. In Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam region, 15, 16, and 8 days of extremely high PM2.5 cases were found, respectively, whereas Seoul showed approximately doubling of occurrences with 37 cases. However, the occurrences in summer season indicated big differences between two cities: the proportion of summer-season occurrence was 13-25% in Busan, whereas no single case have occurred in Seoul. This is suggesting the needs of comprehensive summer emission reduction plan with focusing on sulfur reduction to effectively cope with the ERMP levels in summer in the southeastern region, including Busan.

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the spatio-temporal characteristics of ultrafine dust generation in East Asia and the synoptic climate patterns related to its dispersal which has its adverse effects on public health across East Asia. To achieve this purpose, Level 3 monthly Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) data extracted from MODIS satellite imagery (MOD08_M3) representing particle matters less than 2.5 micrometer (PM2.5) and the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis I upper-level climatic data associated with the exacerbation of ultrafine dust problem are analyzed for the recent 20-year (2001-2020) period. Analyses of long-term average MOD08 data show that high AOD value exceeding 0.5 or more frequently occurred in populous cities in East Asia but mainly in the vicinity of densely populated large rivers and the eastern lowlands in China between mid-winter and mid-spring, which is attributable to the accumulation effects of continuous fossil fuel consumption for heating and manufacturing. Despite the overall decreasing trend of ultrafine dust across China in the 2010s, the weakened westerlies in the warmer climate as well as its continuous generation from the densely populated industrial regions of China provide a favorable synoptic climate condition for frequent severe ultrafine dust problems across East Asia including South Korea. These results indicate that ultrafine dust from China is a long-lasting transboundary environmental problem across East Asia, which needs long-term international cooperation in developing the sustainable policies.

This research investigated the characteristics of fine particles during cold front passage in Busan, on March 19, 2020. The cold front speed was 17.4 m/s (about 63k km/hr), moving from the northwest to the southeast, and with a width of about 64 km. The backward trajectory analysis showed that a southern sea air parcel flowed into Busan before the cold front passage, carrying continental materials from China transported into Busan after cold front passage. The PM10 concentration in Busan showed a rapid increase after passing through the cold front, with PM2.5 showing a high concentration during cold front passage. The PM2.5/PM10 ratio was 0.10 - 0.30. When the cold front passed, SO4 2-, NO3 -, Ca2+, NH4 +, Na+, and K+ in PM2.5 showed a rapid increase, with SO4 2- showing the most significant increase. These results indicated that understanding the characteristics of fine particles during cold front passage in Busan could provide insight into establishing a strategy to control urban air quality.

This research investigated the characteristics of fine particle concentration and ionic elements of PM2.5 during sea breeze occurrences during summertime in Busan. The PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations of summertime sea breeze occurrence days in Busan were 46.5 ㎍/㎥ and 34.9 ㎍/㎥, respectively. The PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations of summertime non-sea breeze occurrence days in Busan were 25.3 ㎍/㎥ and 14.3 ㎍/㎥, respectively. The PM2.5/PM10 ratios of sea breeze occurrence days and non-sea breeze occurrence days were 0.74 and 0.55, respectively. The SO4 2-, NH4 +, and NO3 - concentrations in PM2.5 of sea breeze occurrence days were 9.20 ㎍/㎥, 4.26 ㎍/㎥, and 3.18 ㎍/㎥ respectively. The sulfur oxidation ratio (SOR) and nitrogen oxidation ratio (NOR) of sea breeze occurrence days were 0.33 and 0.05, respectively. These results indicated that understanding the fine particle concentration and ionic elements of PM2.5 during sea breeze summertime conditions can provide insights useful for establishing a control strategy of urban air quality.

This study analyzes the effect of negative air ions on the concentration of airborne particulate matter and evaluates the expected purification efficiency of open spaces for particulate matter by investigating the amount of negative air ions generated by plants. This study establishes a negative air ion generation treatment environment, plant environment, and control environment to measure the purification efficiency of particulate matter under the conditions of each, analyzing the expected purification efficiency by designing a particulate matter purification model. Results show that the amount of generated negative air ion according to environment was negative air ion generation treatment environment > plant environment > control environment; this order also applies to the particulate matter purification efficiency. Moreover, it took 65 min for the negative ion generation treatment environment, 90 min for the plant environment, and 240 min for the control environment to reach the standard expected purification efficiency of particulate matter concentration of 960 mg/m³ for PM10. For PM2.5, with the designated maximum concentration of 700 mg/m³, it took 60 min for the negative ion generation treatment environment, 80 min for the plant environment, and more than 240 min for the control environment. Based on these results, the expected purification efficiency compared to the control environment was quadrupled in the negative ion generation treatment environment and tripled in the plant environment on average.

This study investigated the nitrate formation process, and mass closure of Particulate Matter (PM) were calculated over the urbanized area of Jeju Island. The data for eight water-soluble inorganic ions and nineteen elements in PM2.5 and PM10 were used. The results show that the nitrate concentration increased as excess ammonium increased in ammonium-rich samples. Furthermore, nitrate formation was not as important in ammonium-poor samples as it was in previous studies. According to the sum of the measured species, approximately 45~53% of gravimetric mass of PM remained unidentified. To calculate the mass closure for both PM2.5 and PM10, PM chemical components were categorized into secondary inorganic aerosol, crustal matter, sea salt, trace matter and unidentified matter. The results by the mass reconstruction of PM components show that the portion of unidentified matter was decreased from 52.7% to 44.0% in PM2.5 and from 45.1% to 29.1% in PM10, despite the exclusion of organic matter and elemental carbon.

Fine dust is one of the most critical environmental issues in Korea, and the government recognizes the need to establish customized reduction policies based on regional characteristics. Several studies on air pollutants investigate whether factories affect the distribution of fine dust in a particular region. However, understanding the impact of the entire industry sector requires further investigation. This study identifies the impacts of industrial characteristics on fine dust levels of 141 municipalities across Korea in 2016. A total of 23 variables were used, of which 12 referred to industries and 11 to general characteristics of each city. Due to the high correlation between independent variables, partial least squares (PLS) regression models were used. The analysis identified 14 significant variables for PM10 and 13 for PM2.5. Therefore, the results suggest that local industrial characteristics can significantly influence fine dust levels and provide suggestions for establishing customized reduction policies based on local characteristics.

Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μM (PM2.5) is one of the major environmental pollutants. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), an endocrine disrupting chemical in PM2.5, has been utilized for the manufacturing of polyvinyl chloride to increase the flexibility of final products. In the present study, we investigated the ecotoxicological effect of DEHP on the viability of skin keratinocytes (HaCaT). DEHP induced apoptotic cell death mediated by phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase through the production of intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). Interestingly, we found that DEHP induces the phosphorylation of the nuclear factor-kappa B responsible for the expression of cleaved caspase-3 as an executional cell death protease in HaCaT cells. On the basis of these results, we suggest that DEHP in PM2.5 induces the apoptotic death of human keratinocytes via ROS-mediated signaling events.