Impact of Meteorological Changes on Particulate Matter and Aerosol Optical Depth in Seoul during the Months of June over Recent Decades
The effects of meteorological changes on particulate matter with a diameter of 10 microns or less (PM<sub>10</sub>, referred to as PM in this study) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) in Seoul were investigated using observational and modeling analysis. AOD satellite data were used, obtaine...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/12/1282 |
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| author | Seohee H. Yang Jaein I. Jeong Rokjin J. Park Minjoong J. Kim |
| author_facet | Seohee H. Yang Jaein I. Jeong Rokjin J. Park Minjoong J. Kim |
| author_sort | Seohee H. Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The effects of meteorological changes on particulate matter with a diameter of 10 microns or less (PM<sub>10</sub>, referred to as PM in this study) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) in Seoul were investigated using observational and modeling analysis. AOD satellite data were used, obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and PM concentration data were used from in-situ observations. The Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) and MERRA Version 2 (MERRA-2) were used for meteorological field analysis in modeling and observation data. The results from this investigation show that meteorological effects on PM and AOD were strong in the month of June, revealing a clear decreasing trend in recent decades. The investigation focused on the underlying mechanisms influencing the reduction in PM resulting from meteorological changes during the months of June. The results of this study reveal that decreases in atmospheric stability and humidity induced the aerosol change observed in recent decades. The changes in atmospheric stability and humidity are highly correlated with changes in the intensity of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). This suggests that the unstable and drying atmosphere by weakening of the EASM in recent decades has improved PM air quality in Seoul during the summer. The effects of atmospheric stability and humidity were also observed to vary depending on the aerosol species. Humidity only affects hydrophilic aerosols such as sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium, whereas atmospheric stability affects all species of aerosols, including carbonaceous aerosols. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:29:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7f9fce93980f4fe0a7e7953275dc9242 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:29:55Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-7f9fce93980f4fe0a7e7953275dc92422023-11-20T22:41:20ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332020-11-011112128210.3390/atmos11121282Impact of Meteorological Changes on Particulate Matter and Aerosol Optical Depth in Seoul during the Months of June over Recent DecadesSeohee H. Yang0Jaein I. Jeong1Rokjin J. Park2Minjoong J. Kim3Department of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Myongji University, Yongin, Gyeonggi 17058, KoreaSchool of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, KoreaSchool of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, KoreaDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Myongji University, Yongin, Gyeonggi 17058, KoreaThe effects of meteorological changes on particulate matter with a diameter of 10 microns or less (PM<sub>10</sub>, referred to as PM in this study) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) in Seoul were investigated using observational and modeling analysis. AOD satellite data were used, obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and PM concentration data were used from in-situ observations. The Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) and MERRA Version 2 (MERRA-2) were used for meteorological field analysis in modeling and observation data. The results from this investigation show that meteorological effects on PM and AOD were strong in the month of June, revealing a clear decreasing trend in recent decades. The investigation focused on the underlying mechanisms influencing the reduction in PM resulting from meteorological changes during the months of June. The results of this study reveal that decreases in atmospheric stability and humidity induced the aerosol change observed in recent decades. The changes in atmospheric stability and humidity are highly correlated with changes in the intensity of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). This suggests that the unstable and drying atmosphere by weakening of the EASM in recent decades has improved PM air quality in Seoul during the summer. The effects of atmospheric stability and humidity were also observed to vary depending on the aerosol species. Humidity only affects hydrophilic aerosols such as sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium, whereas atmospheric stability affects all species of aerosols, including carbonaceous aerosols.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/12/1282particulate matter (PM) variabilityaerosol optical depth (AOD) variabilityEast Asia summer monsoon (EASM)atmospheric stabilityclimate change |
| spellingShingle | Seohee H. Yang Jaein I. Jeong Rokjin J. Park Minjoong J. Kim Impact of Meteorological Changes on Particulate Matter and Aerosol Optical Depth in Seoul during the Months of June over Recent Decades Atmosphere particulate matter (PM) variability aerosol optical depth (AOD) variability East Asia summer monsoon (EASM) atmospheric stability climate change |
| title | Impact of Meteorological Changes on Particulate Matter and Aerosol Optical Depth in Seoul during the Months of June over Recent Decades |
| title_full | Impact of Meteorological Changes on Particulate Matter and Aerosol Optical Depth in Seoul during the Months of June over Recent Decades |
| title_fullStr | Impact of Meteorological Changes on Particulate Matter and Aerosol Optical Depth in Seoul during the Months of June over Recent Decades |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of Meteorological Changes on Particulate Matter and Aerosol Optical Depth in Seoul during the Months of June over Recent Decades |
| title_short | Impact of Meteorological Changes on Particulate Matter and Aerosol Optical Depth in Seoul during the Months of June over Recent Decades |
| title_sort | impact of meteorological changes on particulate matter and aerosol optical depth in seoul during the months of june over recent decades |
| topic | particulate matter (PM) variability aerosol optical depth (AOD) variability East Asia summer monsoon (EASM) atmospheric stability climate change |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/12/1282 |
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