10.6084/m9.figshare.4829593.v2
Azmatullah Khan
Azmatullah
Khan
Ki-Hyun Kim
Ki-Hyun
Kim
Jan E. Szulejko
Jan E.
Szulejko
Richard J. C. Brown
Richard
J. C. Brown
Eui-Chan Jeon
Eui-Chan
Jeon
Jong-Min Oh
Jong-Min
Oh
Yong Soon Shin
Yong Soon
Shin
Adedeji A. Adelodun
Adedeji A.
Adelodun
Long-term trends in airborne SO<sub>2</sub> in an air quality monitoring station in Seoul, Korea, from 1987 to 2013
Taylor & Francis Group
2017
2 level
future abatement strategies
Seoul
27- year study duration
PM
Yong-san district
future concentrations trends
CH
CO
air quality monitoring
2013 Atmospheric concentration
air quality monitoring station
KMOE
AQM
air pollutant concentrations
2017-06-16 18:07:21
Journal contribution
https://tandf.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Long-term_trends_in_airborne_SO_sub_2_sub_in_an_air_quality_monitoring_station_in_Seoul_Korea_from_1987_to_2013/4829593
<p>Atmospheric concentration of sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>) was intermittently measured at an air quality monitoring (AQM) station in the Yong-san district of Seoul, Korea, between 1987 and 2013. The SO<sub>2</sub> level was compared with other important pollutants concurrently measured, including methane (CH<sub>4</sub>), carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>), ozone (O<sub>3</sub>), and particulate matter (PM<sub>10</sub>). If split into three different periods (period 1, 1987–1988, period 2, 1999–2000, and period 3, 2004–2013), the respective mean [SO<sub>2</sub>] values (6.57 ± 4.29, 6.30 ± 2.44, and 5.29 ± 0.63 ppb) showed a slight reduction across the entire study period. The concentrations of SO<sub>2</sub> are found to be strongly correlated with other pollutants such as CO (<i>r</i> = 0.614, <i>p</i> = 0.02), which tracked reductions in reported emissions due to tighter emissions standards enacted by the South Korean government. There was also a clear seasonal trend in the SO<sub>2</sub> level, especially in periods 2 and 3, reflecting the combined effects of domestic heating by coal briquettes and meteorological conditions. Although only a 16% concentration reduction was achieved during the 27-year study duration, this is significant if one considers rapid urbanization, an 83.2% increase in population, and rapid industrialization that took place during that period.</p> <p><i>Implications</i>: Since 1970, a network of air quality monitoring (AQM) stations has been operated by the Korean Ministry of Environment (KMOE) for routine nationwide monitoring of air pollutant concentrations in urban/suburban areas. To date, the information obtained from these stations has provided a platform for analyzing long-term trends of major pollutant species. In this study, we examined the long-term trends of SO<sub>2</sub> levels and relevant environmental parameters monitored continuously in the Yong-san district of Seoul between 1987 and 2013. The data were analyzed over various time scales (i.e., monthly, seasonal, and annual intervals). The results obtained from this study will allow us to assess the effectiveness of abatement strategy and to predict future concentrations trends in association with future abatement strategies and technologies.</p>