Long-term trends in airborne SO<sub>2</sub> in an air quality monitoring station in Seoul, Korea from 1987 to 2013
Creators: name: Azmatullah Khan
name: Kim, Ki-Hyun
name: Szulejko, Jan E.
name: Brown, Richard J. C.
name: Eui-Chan Jeon
name: Oh, Jong-Min
name: Shin, Yong Soon
name: Adedeji A. Adelodun
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2017
Subjects: subject: Space Science
subject: 59999 Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences
subject: FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences
subject: 39999 Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: FOS: Chemical sciences
subject: FOS: Chemical sciences
subject: Ecology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: 69999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Inorganic Chemistry
subject: Science Policy

description: 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 (r = 0.614, p = 0.02) which tracked reductions in reported emissions due to tighter emissions standards enacted by the S 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. Implication StatementSince 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 SO2 levels and relevant environmental parameters monitored continuously in the Yong-san district of Seoul between 1987 and 2013. The data was analyzed over various timescales (i.e., monthly, seasonal, and annual). The results obtained from this study will allow us to assess the effectiveness of abatement strategy, while allowing predictions of future concentrations trends when considering future abatement strategies and technologies. Implication Statement 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 SO2 levels and relevant environmental parameters monitored continuously in the Yong-san district of Seoul between 1987 and 2013. The data was analyzed over various timescales (i.e., monthly, seasonal, and annual). The results obtained from this study will allow us to assess the effectiveness of abatement strategy, while allowing predictions of future concentrations trends when considering future abatement strategies and technologies.