• Atmosphere
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.609-614
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• 2019

Cloud seeding experiment has been proposed as a way to alleviate severe air pollution problem because, if successful, artificially produced precipitation through cloud seeding could scavenge out some portion of air pollutants. As a first step to verify the practicality of such experiment, seedability of the clouds observed in Seoul is assessed by examining statistical characteristics of some relevant meteorological variables. Analyses of 9 years of Korea Meteorological Agency Seoul station data indicate that as PM₁₀ mass concentration increases, cloud amount, liquid water path, and ice water path decrease, but the difference between temperature and dew point temperature tends to increase. Such finding suggests that cloud seeding becomes less feasible as air pollution becomes more severe in the Seoul metropolitan area, at least in a statistical sense. For some individual severe air pollution events, however, seedable clouds may exist and indeed cloud seeding experiments can be successful. Therefore, detailed investigation on cloud seedability for individual severe air pollution events are highly required to make a concrete assessment of cloud seeding as a way to alleviate severe air pollution problem.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-29
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• 2003

This paper examines the dynamics of environmental policy development in Korea by reviewing some of the ways on how the policy windows have been opened. There are a lot of theoretical arguments about the major factors influencing policy development or changes. Many scholars have believed that severe pollution accidents or salient environmental episodes might have been the main motivation of environmental policy development. This line of argument seems valid, especially with the water pollution control policy in Korea. Water pollution control programs had rapidly expanded along with the series of water pollution accidents in the tap water sources from the late 1980s to mid-1990s. However, regarding other major env. issues, various other factors have played more important roles in the development of the relevant policies. In case of air pollution control policy international sport events such as, 1986 Asian Games, 1988 Summer Olympics, and 2002 World Cup Competition, have contributed for the development. The municipal solid waste management policy partly owed its development to the introduction of local autonomy system in the mid-1990s. Even the foreign currency crisis occurring in December 1997 helped the policy paradigm shift from rigid supply-oriented to soft demand-oriented approaches. After closely looking at the dynamics of environmental policy development in Korea, this paper tries to identify the logical background of the observed outcomes.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.357-365
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• 2005

The typical patterns of surface $O_3$ pollution and their dependence on meteorology were studied in the Greater Seoul Area (GSA) during warm season (April-September) from 1998 to 2002. In order to classify the $O_3$ pollution patterns, two-stage (average linkage then k-means) clustering technique was employed based on daily maximum $O_3$ concentrations obtained from 53 monitoring sites during high $O_3$ events (118 days). The clustering technique identified four statistically distinct $O_3$ pollution patterns representing the different horizontal distributions and levels of $O_3$ in GSA. The prevailed pattern (93 days, $49.5\%$) distinctly showed the gradient of $49.5\%$ concentrations going from west to east in GSA. Very high $49.5\%$ concentrations throughout GSA (24 days, $12.8\%$) were also found as a significant pattern of severe $O_3$ pollution. In order to understand the characteristics of $O_3$ pollution patterns, the relationship between $O_3$ pollution patterns and meteorological conditions were analyzed using both synoptic charts and surface/upper air data. Each pattern was closely associated with surface wind interacted with synoptic background flow allowing to transport and accumulate $O_3$ and its precursor. In particular, the timing and inland penetration of sea-breeze were apparently found to play very important role in determining $O_3$ distributions.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.570-578
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• 2003

Background : Ambient particles during Asian dust events are usually sized less than $10{\mu}m$, known to be associated with the adverse effects on the general populations. But, there has been no considerable evidence linking these particles to the adverse effects on airways. The objectives of this study was to investigate the possible adverse effects of Asian dust events on respiratory function and symptoms in subjects with bronchial asthma. Patients and Methods : From march to June 2002, Asthmatic patients who were diagnosed with bronchial challenge test or bronchodilator response were enrolled. We divided them into three groups; mild, moderate, and severe, according to the severity. Subjects with other organ insufficiency such as heart, kidney, liver, and malignancy were excluded. All patients completed twice daily diaries and recorded peak flow rate, respiratory symptom, and daily activity. Daily and hourly mean pollutant levels of particulate matter < $10{\mu}m$ in diameter($PM_{10}$), nitrogen dioxide($NO_2$), sulphur dioxide($SO_2$), ozone($O_3$) and carbon monoxide(CO) were measured at the 10 different monitoring sites. Results : Dust events occured 14 times during the study period. Daily averages of 4 air pollutant were measured with an increased level of $PM_{10}$, decreased level of $NO_2$ and $SO_2$, and no change in CO during dust days compared to those during control days. An increase in $PM_{10}$ concentration was associated with an increase of subjects with PEF variability of >20% (p<0.05), night time symptom(p<0.05), and a decrease in mean PEF (p<0.05), which were calculated by the longitudinal data analysis. Otherwise, there was no association between $PM_{10}$ level and bronchodialtor inhaler, and daytime respiratory symptoms. Conclusion : This study shows evidence that ambient air pollution, especially $PM_{10}$, during Asian dust events, could be one of the many aggravating factors at least in patients with airway diseases. This data can be used as a primary source to set up a new policy on air environmental control and to evaluate the safety of air pollution index. We also expect that this research will help identify precise components of dust, which are more linked to the adverse effects.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.143-150
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• 2003

Korea has plentiful precipitation but rainfall events concentrate on several months of rainy season in her weather condition. Korea, therefore, experiences drought for a given period every year. Moreover the soil has usually low water holding capacity, as it is composed coarse particles originated from the granite. Response of several oaks and the Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) on water stress showed that water budget was significant factor determining vegetation distribution. In addition, dehydration level due to cold resistance mechanism of several evergreen plants during the winter season was closely related to their distribution in natural condition. Experimental result under water stress showed that the Korean red pine was very tolerant to desiccation but the seedlings showed high mortality during the dry season. The mortality tended to proportionate to soil moisture content of each site. A comparison between soil moisture content during June when it is severe dry season and moisture content of the culture soil when the pine seedlings reached the permanent wilting point due to water withheld proved that high mortality during the dry season was due to water deficit. Water potential of sample plants measured during the exposure experiment to the air pollutant showed a probability that water related factors would dominate the occurrence of visible damage and the tolerance level of sample plants. In both field survey and laboratory experiment, plants exposed to air pollution showed more rapid transpiration than those grown in the unpolluted condition. The result would due to injury of leaf surface by air pollutants. Aluminum (Al/sup 3+/) increased in the acid soil not only inhibits root growth but also leads to abnormal distribution of root system and thereby caused water stress. The water stresses due to air pollution and soil acidification showed a possibility that they play dominating roles in inducing forest decline additionally to the existing water deficit due to weather and soil conditions in Korea. Sludge, which can contribute to improve field capacity, as it is almost composed of organic matter, showed an effect ameliorating the retarded growth of plant in the acidified soil. The effect was not less than that of dolomite known in widely as such a soil ameliorator. Litter extract contributed also to mitigate the water stress due to toxic Al/sup 3+/. We prepared a model showing the potential interaction of multiple stresses, which can cause forest decline in Korea by synthesizing those results. Furthermore, we suggested restoration plans, which can mitigate such forest decline in terms of soil amelioration and vegetation restoration.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.201-208
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• 2011

Recently, a real-time, pocket-sized aethalometer (microAeth$^{(R)}$ model AE51) has been developed by Magee Scientific Inc. for measuring the concentration of black carbon in the atmosphere. In this study, two aethalometers, models AE-16 and AE-51, which measure the optical absorption of carbon particles at infrared 880 nm, were operated at time interval of 5-min between January 9 and February 10, 2010 at an urban site of Gwangju, to compare the accuracy of black carbon (BC) concentrations reported from the AE-51 model and to investigate reasonable sampling time of filter media in the AE-51. The air samples in the AE-51 and AE-16 models are collected on T60 (Teflon coated glass fiber) filter media (filter spot area: 0.07 $cm^2$) and quartz fiber roll-tape filter (filter spot area: 1.67 $cm^2$), respectively. Real-time measurement results indicate that when the filters were clean, the AE-51 BC was greater than or similar to the AE-16 BC data. However as the filter spots become darker, the AE-16 BC concentrations were higher than the AE-51 BC data and the difference in the BC concentrations from two AE models becomes gradually increased. Relative error in the AE-51 and AE-16 BC concentrations showed significance difference depending on used time of the filter in the AE-51 model, weather pattern, levels of air pollution, etc, ranging from 11.5% (used time of the filter in AE-51: 1,595 min) to 52.5% (used time of the filter in AE-51: 2,085 min). When considering the used time of one filter ticket in the AE-51 model and difference (or relative error %) between AE-16 and AE-51 BC concentrations, it is recommended that the standard sampling time per one filter ticket within the AE-51 model be less than approximately 24 hr (1,440 min) under the normal weather conditions except for severe haze and mist events.