Strategic design of wall envelopes for the enhancement of building thermal performance at reduced air-conditioning costs.

A strategy is proposed for the design of wall envelopes to improve unsteady thermal performance in non-air-conditioned buildings and to reduce energy costs in air-conditioned buildings. The thermophysical properties of building materials (e.g., burnt bricks, mud bricks, laterite stone, cinder concrete, and expanded polystyrene) were measured experimentally using a thermal analyzer. A total of 28 combinations for composite walls were designed with expanded polystyrene as an insulation material based on seven criteria and were subjected to 8 different external surface heat transfer coefficients, which were tested for unsteady thermal performance parameters and air-conditioning cost-saving potential. In this paper, unsteady thermal transmittance obtained from admittance method has been employed to compute cost saving potential of air-conditioning for the various wall envelopes. The use of C-H5 design at a 2 m/s wind speed was found to increase the decrement lag of burnt brick, mud brick, laterite stone, and cinder concrete composite wall envelopes by 48.1%, 49.0%, 59.5%, and 47.0%, respectively, relative to the common wall design (C-H1) in non-air-conditioned buildings. The laterite with a C-H5 design offers the highest annual energy cost savings (1.71 $/m2 at 2 m/s), the highest life cycle cost savings (18.32 $/m2 at 2 m/s), and the lowest payback period (4.03 yrs at 2 m/s) in all tested building materials for air-conditioned buildings. The overall results of this study are expected to open new paths to deliver simple design strategies for energy-efficient buildings.

Evaluation of air quality simulation with a coupled atmosphere-ocean model: A case study on natural marine and biogenic emissions.

In this study, a chemical transport model (i.e., Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system with brute-force method (BFM)) was used in combination with atmosphere-ocean coupling to evaluate the impact of natural emissions (e.g., marine dimethyl sulfide (DMS), sea salt aerosol (SSA), and biogenic compounds) on the air quality of South Korea in the spring of 2019 (May 1-31). Overall, the coupled simulation results exhibited good agreement with the observations for meteorological fields and air quality (fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3)) compared to those obtained using the non-coupled simulation. The coupling effect in the study area tended to be strong in the presence of relatively strong winds (≥4 m s-1). The mean contributions of natural marine (DMS and SSA) and biogenic emissions to total PM2.5 mass reached ~8.2 % over the marine area and ~ 9.1 % over the land area, respectively. On average, biogenic emissions contributed 8.6 %, 29.3 % (and 27.3 %) to the concentrations of O3, secondary organic aerosol (SOA) (and organic carbon (OC)), respectively, over the land area. Isoprene and monoterpene contributed 40 % and 20 %, respectively, to biogenic SOA production over the land area and biogenic SOA accounted for 1.7 % and 7.8 % of the total O3 and PM2.5, respectively. Secondary aerosol formation was enhanced by gas-to-particle conversion processes due to the coupling effect. Therefore, this modeling study confirmed the non-negligible impact of natural emissions on the air quality in the study area. In addition, the study area is likely to be associated with VOC-limited conditions because of significantly enhanced photochemical O3 production owing to biogenic emissions.

Effects of natural and anthropogenic emissions on the composition and toxicity of aerosols in the marine atmosphere.

The impacts of natural dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and ship emissions on marine environments and particulate matter (PM) over the western and southern sea areas around South Korea were studied based on field campaigns from August-September 2017 and May-June 2018 using the Community Multi-scale Air Quality v5.3.2 modeling system. DMS oxidation enhanced the concentrations of both sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfate (SO42-) in PM2.5 by 6.2-6.4% and 2.9-3.6%, respectively, in the marine atmosphere during the study period, whereas it slightly decreased nitrate (NO3-) concentrations (by -1.3%), compared to the simulation without DMS oxidation chemistry. Furthermore, ship emissions increased the concentrations of SO42-, NO3-, and NH4+ by 4.5%, 23%, and 7.3%, respectively. Methane sulfonic acid concentration was 0.17 µg m-3, suggesting the importance of the addition channel in the DMS oxidation pathway. The model simulation indicated that ship emissions in the target area contributed dominantly to non-sea-salt SO42-, and the marine DMS emission source was non-negligible. The geographical distribution of PM toxicity (aerosol oxidative potential) was assessed in the marine atmosphere during the study period.

Assessment of long-range oriented source and oxidative potential on the South-west shoreline, Korea: Molecular marker receptor models during shipborne measurements.

In order to determine the quantitative contributions of PM2.5 on the South-west shoreline of Korea, filter based samplings were conducted in the summertime of 2017 and 2018 (total 32 days) via shipborne measurements using both a high volume and middle volume air sampler. Water-soluble organic carbon, water-soluble ions, organic carbon and elemental carbon, elemental species, and organic molecular markers by Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry were utilized to characterize the collected substrates. The current study investigates the (1) chemical characteristics of PM2.5, (2) source apportionment using positive matrix factorization (PMF), and (3) relationship between sources and the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay during the two sampling periods. A mean PM2.5 concentration of 19.3 µg/m3 was observed along the entire sampling route. The ratio of water-soluble to organic carbon implies that secondary aerosol formation is dominant. The result of methanesulfonic acid (MSA) suggests the contribution of a marine-oriented biogenic source of PM2.5. The PMF source apportionment model showed six source categories with reasonably stable profiles: 1) sulfate-rich, 2) MSA-rich, 3) nitrate-rich, 4) secondary organic, 5) continental, and 6) biomass burning sources. The PMF showed three strong events (i.e., long-range transport, mixed (ocean and long-range stay), and domestic origin events) in the contributions of sources, as well as a dependence on wind transport. Higher associations with DTT oxidative potential normalized to PM2.5 mass concentration (DTT-OPm) related to long-range transport, hence, confirming the impacts of the highest intrinsic oxidative potential.

Comprehensive study of a long-lasting severe haze in Seoul megacity and its impacts on fine particulate matter and health.

A long-lasting severe haze event was observed over the Seoul metropolitan region (SMR: Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do), South Korea, in the winter of 2013 (January 12-16). We comprehensively investigated the atmospheric processes affecting particulate matter (PM) distributions during the haze event, as well as its impact on human health in the study area. These analyses were performed based on meteorological and PM observations and numerical modeling, which included the WRF-CMAQ modeling system and the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program-Community Edition (BenMAP-CE). High PM10 concentrations during the haze event were mostly observed in the western and southern parts of the SMR. Significant differences (60-70 µg m-3) in the mean PM2.5 concentrations for haze and non-haze days were predicted mainly in the west-northwest areas of SMR. This might be primarily due to the pollutant transport (horizontal and vertical) from large emission sources (e.g., Chinese emissions) and, in part, their local accumulation (by local emissions) under high-pressure conditions and slow-moving air flows (i.e., blocking effect) around SMR. In addition, the enhanced PM2.5 concentrations in the study area during the haze event led to an increase in the number of premature deaths.

Characteristics of malodor pollutants and aromatic VOCs around an urban valley in Korea.

In this study, the environmental behavior of malodor pollutants (MPs) [including reduced sulfur compounds (RSCs)] and aromatic volatile organic compounds (AVOCs) were investigated around urban valley areas during several field campaigns (February through December 2006). The MPs measured in the study area include the RSCs (H(2)S, CH(3)SH, DMS, and DMDS), ammonia (NH(3)), and styrene (STY); the AVOCs include benzene (BEN), toluene (TOL), ethylbenzene (EB), m,p-xylene (MPX), and o-xylene (OX). The variation of most MP concentrations (except for DMDS) was found to be larger than that of AVOCs. It was found that STY (2,346 +/- 4,867 ppbv) was the most dominant MP followed by NH(3) (447 +/- 285), CH(3)SH (16 +/- 41), and the others (<8). The magnitude of AVOCs was found in the following descending order: TOL (1.4 +/- 2.2 ppbv), EB (1.0 +/- 2.1), MPX (0.9 +/- 2.0), and the others (<0.8). The concentration levels of most MPs on industrial (I) and downwind (D) sites were up to an order of magnitude higher than those at non-industrial (N) and upwind (U) sites. For most AVOCs, the former was ~3 times higher than the latter. For malodor intensity in RSCs, CH(3)SH was the dominant contributor. The concentration difference in target compounds between the sites/periods is likely to be caused by the combined effects such as emission sources, geographical features (e.g., semi-closed topography), and meteorological conditions (e.g., wind directions) in and outside the urban valley.

Reduced sulfur compounds in ambient air surrounding an industrial region in Korea.

The atmospheric concentrations of several reduced sulfur compounds (RSCs) including H(2)S, CH(3)SH, DMS, CS(2), and DMDS were measured concurrently from a series of field campaigns covering multiple locations in the surroundings of a large industrial region (August 2004 to September 2005). These field studies have been designed and undertaken to inspect the concentrations of RSCs in ambient air. The RSC concentrations were found to occur in a highly variable range. H(2)S (1.06 +/- 2.07 ppb) was found to be the most abundant RSC followed by CS(2) (0.84 +/- 0.54 ppb), DMDS (0.36 +/- 1.21 ppb), DMS (0.24 +/- 0.83 ppb), and CH(3)SH (0.11 +/- 0.23 ppb). The RSC levels measured at the study area were comparable to those observed previously from other polluted environmental settings. When these RSC data were examined further in terms of spatial (industrial vs. non-industrial sites) and seasonal (summer vs. winter seasons) grouping schemes, differences in their concentration levels were statistically insignificant in most cases. In contrast, there were fairly strong variations in temporal patterns over a diurnal cycle. If these RSC concentration data were converted to diagnose the malodor strengths, their effects were in most cases insignificant with minor contribution towards odor nuisances.

Global trend analysis in primary and secondary production of marine aerosol and aerosol optical depth during 2000-2015.

The global trends in sea spray aerosol (SSA) emissions, dimethyl sulfide (DMS) flux from sea to air, and aerosol optical depth (AOD) during 2000-2015 were analyzed using the satellite-based, ECMWF reanalysis, and model-predicted data. The SSA emissions were estimated using a widely used whitecap method with a sea surface temperature (SST) dependence. The sea-to-air DMS fluxes were estimated by a thin film model based on the DMS concentration in seawater and its gas transfer velocity. The yearly global mean anomaly in DMS fluxes showed a significant downward trend during the study period, whereas the SSA emissions showed an upward trend. In terms of regional trends, the increases in SSA emissions during 2000-2015 occurred over the tropical southeastern Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean, whereas any downward trends in SSA emissions were localized. The DMS fluxes during the study period showed a clear downward trend over most oceans, except for the strong upward trend at low latitudes. In general, the AOD from the MODerate resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS) showed upward trends across the entire Southern Hemisphere (SH), whereas there were downward trends in most areas of the Northern Hemisphere (NH). Therefore, the upward trend of AOD in the SH were derived mainly from the SSA emission trend, due to smaller contribution of anthropogenic sources in the SH.

Source apportionment of VOCs and their impact on air quality and health in the megacity of Seoul.

The source apportionment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was examined using receptor models (positive matrix factorization and chemical mass balance) and a chemical transport model (CTM). The receptor model-based analysis was performed using the datasets collected from four different sites from the megacity of Seoul during the years 2013-2015. The contributions of VOC emission sources to ozone (O3) and PM2.5 concentrations and the subsequent health effects in the study area were also assessed during a photochemically active period (June 2015) using a three-dimensional CTM, Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ), and the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP). The solvent use and the on-road mobile emission sources were found to exert dominant controls on the VOC levels observed in the target city. VOCs transported from regions outside of Seoul accounted for a significant proportion (up to approximately 35%) of ambient VOC levels during the study period. The solvent use accounted for 3.4% of the ambient O3 concentrations during the day (daily mean of 2.6%) and made insignificant contributions to PM2.5 (<1%) during the simulation period. Biogenic VOC made insignificant contributions to O3 (<1%) and a small contribution to PM2.5 during the day (5.6% with a daily mean of 2.4%). The number of premature deaths attributed indirectly (O3 and PM2.5 formations via the oxidation of VOCs) to solvent use is expected to be significant.

Exchange pattern of gaseous elemental mercury in an active urban landfill facility.

The environmental behavior of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg) in the ambient air was investigated from the center of a municipal landfill site (area approximately 0.6km(2)) located in Dae Gu, Korea in the winter of 2004. In order to provide insight on the Hg exchange processes in strong source areas, we continuously analyzed Hg concentration gradients developed across two heights between 1m and 5m over soil surfaces at hourly intervals. The results displayed Hg concentrations in the lower and upper levels in the range of 1.46-13.1ngm(-3) (3.33+/-1.29ngm(-3): N=139) and 1.20-13.7ngm(-3) (3.27+/-1.23ngm(-3): N=139), respectively. The results of our analysis, when divided separately into emission and dry deposition, showed that emission of Hg was fairly dominant in frequency (up to 58%) over dry deposition. By multiplying our Hg gradient data with the K-values predicted indirectly from the results of previous studies, the emission and deposition fluxes of Hg were estimated as 39.0+/-43.3ngm(-2)h(-1) (N=80) and -60.0+/-80.2ngm(-2)h(-1) (N=59), respectively. Although the magnitudes of exchange were moderately lower than previously investigated anthropogenic sources, the overall results of this study suggest that an active landfill site can act as an important source of Hg in an urban environment along with other man-made activities.

Major aromatic VOC in the ambient air in the proximity of an urban landfill facility.

In this study, the environmental behavior of major aromatic VOC (including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, commonly called BTEX) in the ambient air was investigated from a mid-size municipal landfill site located in Dae Gu city, Korea in the winter of 2004. A series of field campaigns were conducted in the course of the study to cover eight different locations within and near this landfill site along with a number of VOC vent systems. The mean concentrations of different VOC species in ambient air fell in a comparable range of at or above a few ppb (e.g., the most abundant toluene approximately 10 ppb). An inspection of the VOC data sets at the studied LF sites also indicated that they are quite analogous to those typically found in other urban areas in terms of their absolute magnitude and relative pattern (e.g., the general dominance of toluene over the other species). In light of the fact that there is active ventilation of landfill gas (LFG: e.g., with their LFG concentrations above a few to a few tens of ppm) in the study area with no other distinct source processes, it can be concluded that the effects of the landfill processes may be as important as other point sources in maintaining VOC concentration levels in certain urban areas.

Diurnal and seasonal characteristics of the optical properties and direct radiative forcing of different aerosol components in Seoul megacity.

The temporal variations (diurnal and seasonal) of the optical properties and direct aerosol radiative forcing (DARF) of different aerosol components (water-soluble, insoluble, black carbon (BC), and sea-salt) were analyzed using the hourly resolution data (PM2.5) measured at an urban site in Seoul, Korea during 2010, based on a modeling approach. In general, the water-soluble component was predominant over all other components (with a higher concentration) in terms of its impact on the optical properties (except for absorbing BC) and DARF. The annual mean aerosol optical depth (AOD, τ) at 500nm for the water-soluble component was 0.38±0.07 (0.06±0.01 for BC). The forcing at the surface (DARFSFC) and top of the atmosphere (DARFTOA), and in the atmosphere (DARFATM) for most aerosol components (except for BC) during the daytime were highest in spring and lowest in late fall or early winter. The maximum DARFSFC occurred in the morning during most seasons (except for the water-soluble components showing peaks in the afternoon or noon in summer, fall, or winter), while the maximum DARFTOA occurred in the morning during spring and/or winter and in the afternoon during summer and/or fall. The estimated DARFSFC and DARFATM of the water-soluble component were in the range of -49 to -84Wm-2 and +10 to +22Wm-2, respectively. The DARFSFC and DARFATM of BC were -26 to -39Wm-2 and +32 to +51Wm-2, respectively, showing highest in summer and lowest in spring, with morning peaks regardless of the season. This positive DARFATM of BC in this study area accounted for approximately 64% of the total atmospheric aerosol forcing due to strong radiative absorption, thus increasing atmospheric heating by 2.9±1.2Kday-1 (heating rate efficiency of 39K day-1τ-1) and then causing further atmospheric warming.

Relationship between reactive oxygen species and water-soluble organic compounds: Time-resolved benzene carboxylic acids measurement in the coastal area during the KORUS-AQ campaign.

This study investigated the relationship between water-soluble organic compounds of ambient particulate matter (PM) and cellular redox activity collected from May 28 to June 20 of 2016 at the west coastal site in the Republic of Korea during the KORea-US Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) campaign. Automatic four-hour integrated samples operated at a flow rate of 92 L per minute for the analysis of organic carbon (OC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble ions (WSIs), and benzene carboxylic acids (BCAs) were collected on a 47 mm quartz fiber filter. The influence of atmospheric transport processes was assessed by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. OC, EC, WSOC, and BCA were determined by SUNET carbon analyzer, total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry mass spectrometry (LC-MSMS), respectively. Twenty-four-hour integrated samples were collected for reactive oxygen species (ROS) analysis using a fluorogenic cell-based method to investigate the main chemical classes of toxicity. The results illustrate that WSOC and specific water-soluble species are associated with the oxidative potential of particulate matter. Pairwise correlation scatterplots between the daily-averaged WSOC and ROS (r2 of 0.81), and 135-BCA and ROS (r2 of 0.84), indicate that secondary organic aerosol production was highly associated with ROS activity. In addition, X-ray spectral analysis together with secondary electron images (SEIs) of PM2.5 particles collected during high ROS concentration events clearly indicate that water-soluble organic aerosols are major contributors to PM2.5 mass. This study provides insight into the components of particulate matter that are drivers of the oxidative potential of atmospheric particulate matter and potential tracers for this activity.

Photochemical oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds in an urban location based on short time monitoring data.

This study examines the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds (RSCs) in urban ambient air. The photochemical conversions of RSC (such as DMS, CS2, H2S, DMDS, and CH3SH) to a further oxidized form (e.g., SO2, MSA, and H2SO4) were assessed using a photochemical box model. For our model simulation of RSC oxidation, measurements were taken at an urban monitoring station in Seoul, Korea (37.6 degrees N, 127 degrees E) during three separate time periods (e.g., Sept. 17-18, Oct. 23, and Oct. 27-28, 2003). The results indicate that DMS and H2S were the dominant RSCs with concentrations of 370 +/- 140 and 110 +/- 60 pptv, respectively. The photochemical conversion of DMDS to SO2 was found to occur more efficiently than other RSCs. The overall results of our study suggest that photochemical conversion of RSCs accounted for less than 15% of the observed SO2 during the measurement period. The SO2 production from DMS oxidation (mainly by the reaction with OH) was found to be affected primarily by the abstraction channel due to high NOx levels during the experimental conditions.

Characteristics of Asian dust transport based on synoptic meteorological analysis over Korea.

Classification of synoptic patterns and their correlation with dust events over East Asia were performed by means of cluster analysis. The average linkage and K-means clustering techniques were used to identify two major weather types during Asian dust events (ADEs; total 26 ADEs with 47 dusty days) of six spring seasons from 1996 to 2001. The first weather type mainly influenced neighboring Asian countries and frequently occurred with ADEs (approximately 23% of ADE cases). It mostly occurred under a surface high (low)-pressure system over the west (east) of the Korean peninsula coupled with an upper-level trough and cutoff low passage over the center of the Korean peninsula. It showed strong advection in the middle/ upper troposphere with both a high aerosol index and enhanced coarse particulate matter (PM) loading over Korea. In contrast, the second weather type was mostly associated with long distance or continental-scale transport and occurred less frequently with ADEs (approximately 15%). It appeared with an upper-level trough and a cutoff low vertically connected with a surface low system that was formed by a strong cyclonic vortex over the north of the Korean peninsula. There were weak advection, low aerosol index, and low coarse PM concentration over the Korean peninsula during the second weather type. In addition, it was found to be mostly associated with the trans-Pacific transport of Asian dust to the western coast of North America.

DMS photochemistry during the Asian dust-storm period in the Spring of 2001: model simulations vs. field observations.

This study examines the local/regional DMS oxidation chemistry on Jeju Island (33.17 degrees N, 126.10 degrees E) during the Asian dust-storm (ADS) period of April 2001. Three ADS events were observed during the periods of April 10-12, 13-14, and 25-26, respectively. For comparative purposes, a non-Asian-dust-storm (NADS) period was also considered in this study, which represents the entire measurement periods in April except the ADS events. The atmospheric concentrations of DMS and SO2 were measured at a ground station on Jeju Island, Korea, as part of the ACE-Asia intensive operation. DMS (means of 34-52 pptv) and SO2 (means of 0.96-1.14 ppbv) levels measured during the ADS period were higher than those (mean of 0.45 ppbv) during the NADS period. The enhanced DMS levels during the ADS period were likely due to the increase in DMS flux under reduced oxidant levels (OH and NO3). SO2 levels between the two contrasting periods were affected sensitively by some factors such as air mass origins. The diurnal variation patterns of DMS observed during the two periods were largely different from those seen in the background environment (e.g., the marine boundary layer (MBL)). In contrast to the MBL, the maximum DMS value during the ADS period was seen in the late afternoon at about sunset; this reversed pattern appears to be regulated by certain factors (e.g., enhanced NO3 oxidation). The sea-to-air fluxes of DMS between the ADS and NADS periods were calculated based on the mass-balance photochemical-modeling approach; their results were clearly distinguished with the values of 4.4 and 2.4 micromole m(-2) day(-1), respectively. This study confirmed that the contribution of DMS oxidation to observed SO2 levels on Jeju Island was not significant during our study period regardless of ADS or NADS periods.

Assessment of the photochemistry of OH and NO3 on Jeju Island during the Asian-dust-storm period in the spring of 2001.

In this study, we examined the influence of the long-range transport of dust particles and air pollutants on the photochemistry of OH and NO3 on Jeju Island, Korea (33.17 degrees N, 126.10 degrees E) during the Asian-dust-storm (ADS) period of April 2001. Three ADS events were observed during the periods of April 10-12, 13-14, and 25-26. Average concentration levels of daytime OH and nighttime NO3 on Jeju Island during the ADS period were estimated to be about 1x10(6) and 2x10(8) moleculescm(-3) ( approximately 9 pptv), respectively. OH levels during the ADS period were lower than those during the non-Asian-dust-storm (NADS) period by a factor of 1.5. This was likely to result from higher CO levels and the significant loading of dust particles, reducing the photolysis frequencies of ozone. Decreases in NO3 levels during the ADS period was likely to be determined mainly by the enhancement of the N2O5 heterogeneous reaction on dust aerosol surfaces. Averaged over 24 h, the reaction between HO2 and NO was the most important source of OH during the study period, followed by ozone photolysis, which contributed more than 95% of the total source. The reactions with CO, NO2, and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) during the study period were major sinks for OH. The reaction of N2O5 on aerosol surfaces was a more important sink for nighttime NO3 during the ADS due to the significant loading of dust particles. The reaction of NO3 with NMHCs and the gas-phase reaction of N2O5 with water vapor were both significant loss mechanisms during the study period, especially during the NADS. However, dry deposition of these oxidized nitrogen species and a heterogeneous reaction of NO3 were of no importance.

Monitoring of reduced sulfur compounds in the atmosphere of Gosan, Jeju Island during the Spring of 2001.

The atmospheric concentrations of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and carbon disulfide (CS2) were measured concurrently with relevant environmental parameters at Gosan, Jeju Island, Korea during 5-26 April 2001. The mean concentrations for these two compounds were 18.7+/-17.9 and 6.4+/-9.9 pptv, respectively. Results of our analysis indicated that relative temporal variations between DMS and CS2 can be best described by dividing the whole data set into three different periods which reflect the variable transport patterns of air masses into the study area. (Periods I, II, and III denote: 5-10, 10-18, and 19-26 April.) The environmental conditions during those three periods varied greatly. The effects of continental and/or oceanic processes were evident for certain periods, yielding diverse relationships between DMS and CS2 in both absolute and relative terms. Most observed variations were best explained in terms of an interplay between source/sink processes and air mass transport patterns. The sea-to-air flux of DMS, when estimated using our measurement data during this study period, was approximately 4 micromole m(-2)d(-1).

Current and future emission estimates of exhaust gases and particles from shipping at the largest port in Korea.

The emissions of exhaust gases (NOx , SO2, VOCs, and CO2) and particles (e.g., PM) from ships traversing Busan Port in Korea were estimated over three different years (the years 2006, 2008, and 2009). This analysis was performed according to the ship operational modes ("at sea," "maneuvering," and "in port") and ship types based on an activity-based method. The ship emissions for current (base year 2009) and future scenarios (years 2020 and 2050) were also compared. The annual emissions of SO2, VOCs, PM, and CO2 were highest (9.6 × 10(3), 374, 1.2 × 10(3), and 5.6 × 10(5) ton year(-1), respectively) in 2008. In contrast, the annual NO x emissions were highest (11.7 × 10(3) ton year(-1)) in 2006 due mainly to the high NO x emission factor. The emissions of air pollutants for each ship operational mode differed considerably, with the largest emission observed in "in port" mode. In addition, the largest fraction (approximately 45-67%) of the emissions of all air pollutants during the study period was emitted from container ships. The future ship emissions of most pollutants (except for SO2 and PM) in 2020 and 2050 are estimated to be 1.4-1.8 and 4.7-6.1 times higher than those in 2009 (base year), respectively.

Long-term monitoring of airborne nickel (Ni) pollution in association with some potential source processes in the urban environment.

The environmental behavior and pollution status of nickel (Ni) were investigated in seven major cities in Korea over a 13-year time span (1998-2010). The mean concentrations of Ni measured during the whole study period fell within the range of 3.71 (Gwangju: GJ) to 12.6ngm(-3) (Incheon: IC). Although Ni values showed a good comparability in a relatively large spatial scale, its values in most cities (6 out of 7) were subject to moderate reductions over the study period. To assess the effect of major sources on the long-term distribution of Ni, the relationship between their concentrations and the potent source processes like non-road transportation sources (e.g., ship and aircraft emissions) were examined from some cities with port and airport facilities. The potential impact of long-range transport of Asian dust particles in controlling Ni levels was also evaluated. The overall results suggest that the Ni levels were subject to gradual reductions over the study period irrespective of changes in such localized non-road source activities. The pollution of Ni at all the study sites was maintained well below the international threshold (Directive 2004/107/EC) value of 20ngm(-3).