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Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 10315-10332, 2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-10315-2017 © Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. 
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Research article
04 Sep 2017
1Air Resources Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, College Park, MD, 20740, USA
2Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20740, USA
3Department of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, South Korea
4Environmental Meteorology Research Division, National Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Jeju, 63568, South Korea
5Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Atlanta, GA, 30354, USA
Received: 10 Dec 2016 – Discussion started: 03 Jan 2017
Revised: 23 May 2017 – Accepted: 18 Jul 2017 – Published: 04 Sep 2017
Abstract. The impact of regional emissions (e.g., domestic and international) on surface particulate matter (PM) concentrations in the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA), South Korea, and its sensitivities to meteorology and emissions inventories are quantitatively estimated for 2014 using regional air quality modeling systems. Located on the downwind side of strong sources of anthropogenic emissions, South Korea bears the full impact of the regional transport of pollutants and their precursors. However, the impact of foreign emissions sources has not yet been fully documented. We utilized two regional air quality simulation systems: (1) a Weather Research and Forecasting and Community Multi-Scale Air Quality (CMAQ) system and (2) a United Kingdom Met Office Unified Model and CMAQ system. The following combinations of emissions inventories are used: the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment-Phase B, the Inter-comparison Study for Asia 2010, and the National Institute of Environment Research Clean Air Policy Support System. Partial contributions of domestic and foreign emissions are estimated using a brute force approach, adjusting South Korean emissions to 50 %. Results show that foreign emissions contributed ∼ 60 % of SMA surface PM concentration in 2014. Estimated contributions display clear seasonal variation, with foreign emissions having a higher impact during the cold season (fall to spring), reaching ∼ 70 % in March, and making lower contributions in the summer, ∼ 45 % in September. We also found that simulated surface PM concentration is sensitive to meteorology, but estimated contributions are mostly consistent. Regional contributions are also found to be sensitive to the choice of emissions inventories.
Citation: Kim, H. C., Kim, E., Bae, C., Cho, J. H., Kim, B.-U., and Kim, S.: Regional contributions to particulate matter concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area, South Korea: seasonal variation and sensitivity to meteorology and emissions inventory, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 10315-10332, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-10315-2017, 2017.
2Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20740, USA
3Department of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, South Korea
4Environmental Meteorology Research Division, National Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Jeju, 63568, South Korea
5Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Atlanta, GA, 30354, USA
Citation: Kim, H. C., Kim, E., Bae, C., Cho, J. H., Kim, B.-U., and Kim, S.: Regional contributions to particulate matter concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area, South Korea: seasonal variation and sensitivity to meteorology and emissions inventory, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 10315-10332, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-10315-2017, 2017.
