• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.161-168
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• 2013

In this study, an investigation was conducted to assess the washout mechanism of Asian dust particles through both laboratory-scale experiment and model calculation. To artificially simulate Asian dust particle, $CaCO_3$ particles were generated inside an experimental chamber. They were then scavenged by the artificial rain drops. The abundant $CaCO_3$ particles scavenged on a rain drop were successively identified by SEM observation. The concentrations of Ca in residual $CaCO_3$ particles on individual droplet were quantified by PIXE analysis. There was a tendency toward a high accumulation of Ca on a relatively small drop (e.g., <1.0 mm diameter). It is thus suggested that smaller rain drops can effectively scavenge a significant amount of Asian dust particles in ambient atmosphere. The numerical estimation can account for 92.1% and 83.2% of Ca that were measured in small (<1.0 mm diameter) and large (>2.0 mm diameter) size drops, respectively.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.543-555
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• 2006

During a twenty-day period in 2005, a nine-stage Andersen cascade impactor was used to determine the seasonal size distribution of atmospheric particles and its inorganic ion species sampled for 24hr in Iksan city, located southwest of the Korean peninsula. Samples were analyzed for major water-soluble ion species using Dionex-100 ion chromatograph. Average fine and coarse mass concentrations of atmospheric particles were, respectively, 31.4 and $82.6{\mu}g\;m^{-3}$ in spring and 35.8 and $73.4{\mu}g\;m^{-3}$ in fall-winter during the sampling period of 2005, while measurements of 69.8 and 9.9 were obtained in the sampling period of summer, The size distribution of particulate mass concentration during the non-Asian dust period was generally bimodal, whereas the size distribution of particulate mass concentration during the Asian dust period was unimodal due to the significant increase of coarse particles, which originated from long-range transport of soil dust particles from loess regions of the Asian continent. Among ionic species, $SO{_4}^{2-},\;NH{_4}^+,\;K^+$ were mainly distributed in fine particles due to their characteristics of emission sources and gas-to-particle conversion, while $Na^+,\;Mg^{2+}\;and\;Ca^{2+}$ were dominantly in coarse particles. However, $NO_3{^-}\;and\;Cl^-$ were distributed in both coarse particles and fine particles. Although $SO{_4}^{2-}$ was mainly distributed in fine particles, the size distributions of $SO{_4}^{2-}$ in coarse mode were significantly increased during the Asian dust events compared to those during the non-Asian dust period. $Ca^{2+}$ showed the most abundant species in the atmospheric particles during the Asian dust period. $NH{_4}^+$ was found to mainly exist as $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ in fine particles.

• Atmosphere
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.519-526
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• 2013

This study aims to analyze the vertical distribution of Asian dust measured by LIDARs at three weather stations in Baengnyeongdo (BND), Munsan (MS), and Gunsan (GS) during 10~11 May 2010, and thereby investigate their effectiveness. Asian dust passed through from central to south-western part of Korea. Although dust particles were detected over the surface in MS and GS, LIDAR data showed that the Asian dust with non-spherical particles was observed in all of the three regions. It seems that the naked-eye observation could not detect dust over the surface of BND due to the temperature inversion below a height of 0.45 km. During the Asian dust events, the duration time of dust presented 9.5 hr (BND), 19.5 hr (MS), and 24.5 hr (GS), respectively with the longest time in GS, whereas dust altitudes ranged from 0.4 to 1.3 km (BND), 0.1 to 2.8 km and 4.1 to 4.2 km (MS), and 0.2 to 2.0 km (GS), respectively, while showing the highest altitude in MS. Aerosol optical thickness (AOT) retrieved by LIDAR and skyradiometer (SR), located close to the LIDAR sites, was compared. MS (LIDAR) and Seoul (SR) attained the AOT of 0.64 and 0.50, and GS (LIDAR) and Gongju (SR) attained the AOT of 0.38 and 0.54, respectively. As SR-derived angstrom exponents (AE) during the time period determined as Asian dust by LIDAR data were 0.17 in Seoul (near MS) and 0.30 in Gongju (near GS), it can be said that the characteristics of dust particles were appeared. During the study period, depolarization ratio could serve as a useful indicator to determine dust aerosol. But, it still seems essential to conduct further investigation with longer period of data to better describe the discrepancy of AOT between LIDARs and SR.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.688-696
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• 2012

The particle depolarization ratios were retrieved from the observation with a multi-wavelength Raman lidar at Gwangju, Korea ($35.11^{\circ}N$, $126.54^{\circ}E$). The measurements were carried out on 24 February and 9 March 2004. Using the particle depolarization ratios, the non-dust aerosol particles were distinguished from the Asian dust plume, and the proportion of the non-dust particle to total dust plume was retrieved. The calculated proportion of the non-dust particle was used for the retrieval of backscatter coefficients at 355, 532, and 1064 nm and extinction coefficients at 355 and 532 nm of non-dust particles in the dust plume. Microphysical parameters of non-dust particles including single-scattering albedo at 532 nm were retrieved using retrieved optical values. The retrieved single-scattering albedo of non-dust particles was 0.92~0.95 below 1 km height and 0.82~0.91 above 1 km height on 24 February 2004 and $0.81{\pm}0.03$ on 9 March 2004.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.77-79
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• 2007

The source regions of Asian Dusts (Yellow Sands) in the western part of China are investigated, and the soil samples are collected samples for approximately 15 days during the spring of 2005. Particle sizes of sediments are analyzed and compared with each other. These grain-size analyses from the source areas can be compared Particle sizes between loess deposits and desert sands in western part of China and desert areas show distinctive differences. Loess deposits are predominantly composed of fine sands and silts. The distinction between the final characteristics of Asian Dust particles arrived in Korea and characteristics during transportation can be recognized comparison with the Asian Dust particles collected where the dust particles settled down. The characteristics of Asian Dust particle sizes can provide the basic information regarding the transportation history from the source region.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.347-358
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• 2013

The aerosol number concentration have measured with an aerodynamic particle sizer spectrometer(APS) at Gosan in Jeju Island, which is known as background area in Korea, from March 2010 to February 2011. The obtained results of asian dust events and non-asian dust period have been compared. The results show that the entire averaged aerosol number concentration from APS measurement during asian dust events and non-asian dust period are about 341 particles/$cm^3$ and 240 particles/$cm^3$, respectively. During asian dust events, the number concentration in small size ranges(${\leq}0.4{\mu}m$) are similar to non-asian dust period, however, those in large size ranges(${\geq}0.7{\mu}m$) are very higher than non-asian dust period. The contributions of the size resolved number concentration(23 channel in $0.25{\sim}10.0{\mu}m$) to total number concentration in that range are dramatically decreased with increased particle size. The contributions of smaller size ranges(${\leq}0.4{\mu}m$) during asian dust events are very low compared with non-asian dust period, on the other hand, those of larger size ranges(${\geq}0.4{\mu}m$) are higher than non-asian dust period. The number concentration in each size range are strongly correlated with the concentration in adjacent size range. And the total aerosol number concentration are depended on the number concentration in range of smaller than $0.58{\mu}m$ during non-asian dust period and asian dust events. On the other hand, $PM_{10}$ mass concentration has mainly affected with the number concentration in range of smaller than $1.0{\mu}m$ during non-asian dust period, however, during asian dust events, the mass concentration has mainly affected with the number concentration in range of $0.65{\sim}3.0{\mu}m$.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.491-498
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• 2017

Objective: Bacterial abundance and community compositions have been examined in Asian dust events, clarifying their impacts on public health. This study aims to determine the bacterial community compositions and viable bacteria in Asian dust particles in the Asian dust or non-Asian dust event of March 2016. Methods: The dust samples were collected using the high volume air sampler or high volume cascade impactor, and bacterial 16S rRNA genes were amplified using PCR, followed by pyrosequencing. Bacterial diversity index, richness estimate and community composition in the particles were analyzed from the sequencing data using Mothur software. Results: The results showed that the diversity and richness during Asian dust events were higher than them in non-Asian dust events. The total bacterial community analysis showed that at the phylum Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were the most dominant of Asian dust events and non-Asian dust events. In addition, the bacterial colony counts were higher during Asian dust event, comparing with non-Asian dust event. Conclusions: This study showed that bacterial community and richness of Asian dust samples was more complex and higher than non-Asian dust samples in Gyeonggi-do, Korea, which could affect public health and environment. Thus, the continuous monitoring of Asian dust could be an alternative for managing airborne bacteria.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.159-160
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• 2002

Soil dust particles transported from loess regions of the Asian continent, called Asian dust, highly influences the air quality of north-eastern Asia and the northern Pacific Ocean. The effects of these dust storms, on the chemical composition of atmospheric aerosol particles with different size, was investigated. Measurements of size distributions of total aerosol and major ion species were carried out on Jeju Island, Korea. (omitted)

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.476-482
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• 2012

Asian dust particles are known to have sizes ranging from a few nanometers up to about a few micrometers. The environmental and health effects depend on the size of the dust particles. The smaller, the farther they are transported, and the deeper they penetrate into the human respiratory system. Sedimentation field-flow fractionation (SdFFF) provides separation of nano to microparticles using a combination of centrifugal force and parabolic laminar flow in a channel. In this study, the steric mode of SdFFF (Sd/StFFF) was tested for size-based separation and characterization of Asian dust particles. Various SdFFF experimental parameters including flow rate, stop-flow time and field strength of the centrifugal field were optimized for the size analysis of Asian dust. The Sd/StFFF calibration curve showed a good linearity with $R^2$ value of 0.9983, and results showed an excellent capability of Sd/StFFF for a size-based separation of micron-sized particles.The optical microscopy (OM) was also used to study the size and the shape of the dust particles. The size distributions of the samples collected during a thick dust period were shifted towards larger sizes than those of the samples collected during thin dust periods. It was also observed that size distribution of the sample collected during dry period shifts further towards larger sizes than that of the samples collected during raining period, suggesting the sizes of the dust particle decrease during raining periods as the components adsorbed on the surface of the dust particles were removed by the rain water. Results show Sd/StFFFis a useful tool for size characterization of environmental particles such as the Asian dust.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.415-425
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• 2003

A single particle analysis, called low-Z electron probe X-ray microanalysis was applied to characterize the atmospheric aerosols collected during Asian Dust storm events in the year of 2000 and 2001. Most frequently encountered chemical species were the soil-originated species such as aluminosilicates, silicon dioxide, and calcium carbonate. Also various species such as carbon -rich, organics, sea salts, and some reacted calcium carbonate were identified. The observation of internally mixed particles oi calcium carbonate, calcium nitrate and/or calcium sulfate shows the occurrence of the heterogeneous reaction between Asian Dust particles and NO$_{x}$ and/or SO$_{x}$ species in the atmosphere.ere.