Influence of trans-boundary air pollution from China on multi-day high PM10 episodes in Seoul, Korea

Hye-Ryun Oh, Kyungpook National University, Department of Earth Science Education, Daegu, South Korea, Chang-Hoi Ho, Seoul National University, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul, South Korea, Jinwon Kim, Korean Meteorological Administration, Seoguipo, South Korea, Deliang Chen, University of Gothenburg, Department of Earth Sciences, Gothenburg, Sweden, Seungmin Lee, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South), Yong-Sang Choi, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea, Limseok Chang, National Institute of Environmental Research, Environmental Satellite Center, Incheon, South Korea and Chang-Keun Song, National Environment Research, Incheon, Korea, Republic of (South)
Abstract:
Air quality problems have become a serious global issue as it causes over 3 million deaths per year all over the world. With generations of massive air pollutants in China, the effects of trans-boundary transports of air pollutants on human health have become a serious international concern in East Asia. However, only a limited number of studies are available for providing scientific evidences for quantifying the sources and transports of air pollutants over major countries in East Asia. Here, it is shown that particulate matters originated from China played major role in the occurrence of multi-day (≥ 4 days) severe air pollution episodes in Seoul, Korea, in which the concentration of particulate matter of diameters ≤ 10 μm exceeds 100 μg m-3. Observations show that these multi-day severe air quality episodes occur when a strong high-pressure system resides over the eastern China - Korea region. Such a weather condition confines air pollutants within the atmospheric boundary layer and spread them by slow westerlies within the boundary layer from China into the neighboring countries. Understanding such dynamical processes is a key for advancing the predictability of trans-boundary air pollutants and their health impacts in East Asia as well as developing international measures to improve air quality for the region.
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