Study reveals China responsible for South Korea's ultrafine dust
- 6 years ago
The weather is gradually warming up after a long, cold winter,... but unfortunately at this time every year,... Korea is blanketed in a thick layer of fine dust.
While it has been difficult to prove how responsible China is for the problem,... local researchers now say they have enough evidence to prove pollution from China is a major contributor to the problem.
Kim Hyo-sun explains. Toward the end of January 2017,... Korea was covered in a blanket of ultrafine dust.
This was when China began its celebration of Spring Festival,... also known as Chunjie.
While China is known to be associated with South Korea's worsening air quality,... proving this scientifically was a challenge... as particles similar to the compound of ultrafine dust are also emitted through domestic industrial and agricultural activities.
Yet,... a group of Korean researchers have proved that China is responsible for a lot of the nation's fine dust through real-time measurements of potassium and levoglucosan,... which constitute ultrafine dust.
While potassium is emitted during fireworks and biomass combustion,... levoglucosan is only emitted during biomass combustion.
The research team found the concentration of potassium in the atmosphere increased seven-fold in South Korea at the end of January last year,... while levels of levoglucosan remained the same.
"We proved that pollutants emitted from fireworks were carried all the way to Korea."
The researchers say this is a more accurate measurement compared to satellite video,... conventionally used to measure air quality,... as it only provides a macroscopic view of air flow.
"This research will likely be used to study how various pollutants affect the concentration level of ultrafine dust in Korea."
The study,... which could be crucial evidence for establishing policies to reduce fine dust in Northeast Asia,... will also be published in next month's edition of the international scientific journal "Atmospheric Environment."
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.
While it has been difficult to prove how responsible China is for the problem,... local researchers now say they have enough evidence to prove pollution from China is a major contributor to the problem.
Kim Hyo-sun explains. Toward the end of January 2017,... Korea was covered in a blanket of ultrafine dust.
This was when China began its celebration of Spring Festival,... also known as Chunjie.
While China is known to be associated with South Korea's worsening air quality,... proving this scientifically was a challenge... as particles similar to the compound of ultrafine dust are also emitted through domestic industrial and agricultural activities.
Yet,... a group of Korean researchers have proved that China is responsible for a lot of the nation's fine dust through real-time measurements of potassium and levoglucosan,... which constitute ultrafine dust.
While potassium is emitted during fireworks and biomass combustion,... levoglucosan is only emitted during biomass combustion.
The research team found the concentration of potassium in the atmosphere increased seven-fold in South Korea at the end of January last year,... while levels of levoglucosan remained the same.
"We proved that pollutants emitted from fireworks were carried all the way to Korea."
The researchers say this is a more accurate measurement compared to satellite video,... conventionally used to measure air quality,... as it only provides a macroscopic view of air flow.
"This research will likely be used to study how various pollutants affect the concentration level of ultrafine dust in Korea."
The study,... which could be crucial evidence for establishing policies to reduce fine dust in Northeast Asia,... will also be published in next month's edition of the international scientific journal "Atmospheric Environment."
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.