Articles | Volume 25, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3233-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3233-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Mar 2025
Research article |
| 17 Mar 2025
| 17 Mar 2025
Air quality trends and regimes in South Korea inferred from 2015–2023 surface and satellite observations
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Daniel J. Jacob
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Drew C. Pendergrass
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Ruijun Dang
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Nadia K. Colombi
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Heesung Chong
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA, USA
Seoyoung Lee
Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR) II, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
Climate and Radiation Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Su Keun Kuk
Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Suwon, South Korea
Jhoon Kim
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
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Total article views: 4,769 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
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Total article views: 2,994 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
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Cited
19 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Semantic Segmentation of Urbanized Areas Using Multi-Encoder U-Net Based on Multi-Modal Data S. Gong et al.
- Measurement of Organic and Elemental Carbon in Fine Particulate Matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) in a Subalpine Region of Jirisan National Park, South Korea (2022~2024) J. Cha et al.
- Intercity-scale linkage of cold-season PM2.5 and emissions over South Korea: structural diagnostics from scalable spatial decomposition J. Seo et al.
- Decade-long variability of winter aerosols in East Asia and their associations with climatic factors Y. Jeong et al.
- Investigation of cytotoxic effects of water-soluble components in PM2.5 on human primary cells derived from multiple organs S. Choi et al.
- Analysis of Ozone Formation Sensitivity in the Seoul Metropolitan Area Using TROPOMI FNR (HCHO/NO2 Ratio) from 2019 to 2024 J. Lee et al.
- Evaluation of accuracy on bottom-up NH3 emissions and sensitivity of PM2.5 to emission control in South Korea K. Han et al.
- Assessment of wintertime air quality characteristics of southern region of South Korea using three-dimensional chemistry transport modeling and zero-dimensional box modeling Y. Kim et al.
- TransNet: a transport-informed graph neural network for forecasting PM2.5 concentrations across South Korea R. Dimri et al.
- Performance Evaluation of Satellite Observation of Sand/Dust Weather and Its Application in Assessing the Accuracy of Numerical Models P. Chan et al.
- Influence of Near-Surface Wind Speed Changes on PM<sub>10</sub> Concentrations in Central Korea in Spring 2000-2024 J. Cho & H. Kim
- Reductions of dry atmospheric inorganic nitrogen deposition and carbon uptake in the Yellow Sea of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean for the COVID-19 period C. Park et al.
- Pollutant-specific effects of urban air policy: Causal evidence from South Korea's Clean Air Act J. Im et al.
- From progress to precision: a decadal reassessment of national particulate matter footprint across industries and regions J. Kim et al.
- Nature-based solutions and PM2.5: Insights from urban greening in Suwon, South Korea Y. Jang
- Spatial and Seasonal Variation of Nitric Acid (HNO3) and Understanding the Formation of NH4NO3 in the HNO3–NH3 system in Korea D. Jung et al.
- Large and increasing stratospheric contribution to tropospheric ozone over East Asia N. Colombi et al.
- Analyzing the Relationship Between Air Pollutant Emissions and Air Quality in Gyeongsangbuk-do (2017-2021) I. Na et al.
- Comprehensive diurnal and nocturnal surface NO2 concentration retrieval with seamless temporal and spatial coverage Y. Zhang et al.
19 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Semantic Segmentation of Urbanized Areas Using Multi-Encoder U-Net Based on Multi-Modal Data S. Gong et al.
- Measurement of Organic and Elemental Carbon in Fine Particulate Matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) in a Subalpine Region of Jirisan National Park, South Korea (2022~2024) J. Cha et al.
- Intercity-scale linkage of cold-season PM2.5 and emissions over South Korea: structural diagnostics from scalable spatial decomposition J. Seo et al.
- Decade-long variability of winter aerosols in East Asia and their associations with climatic factors Y. Jeong et al.
- Investigation of cytotoxic effects of water-soluble components in PM2.5 on human primary cells derived from multiple organs S. Choi et al.
- Analysis of Ozone Formation Sensitivity in the Seoul Metropolitan Area Using TROPOMI FNR (HCHO/NO2 Ratio) from 2019 to 2024 J. Lee et al.
- Evaluation of accuracy on bottom-up NH3 emissions and sensitivity of PM2.5 to emission control in South Korea K. Han et al.
- Assessment of wintertime air quality characteristics of southern region of South Korea using three-dimensional chemistry transport modeling and zero-dimensional box modeling Y. Kim et al.
- TransNet: a transport-informed graph neural network for forecasting PM2.5 concentrations across South Korea R. Dimri et al.
- Performance Evaluation of Satellite Observation of Sand/Dust Weather and Its Application in Assessing the Accuracy of Numerical Models P. Chan et al.
- Influence of Near-Surface Wind Speed Changes on PM<sub>10</sub> Concentrations in Central Korea in Spring 2000-2024 J. Cho & H. Kim
- Reductions of dry atmospheric inorganic nitrogen deposition and carbon uptake in the Yellow Sea of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean for the COVID-19 period C. Park et al.
- Pollutant-specific effects of urban air policy: Causal evidence from South Korea's Clean Air Act J. Im et al.
- From progress to precision: a decadal reassessment of national particulate matter footprint across industries and regions J. Kim et al.
- Nature-based solutions and PM2.5: Insights from urban greening in Suwon, South Korea Y. Jang
- Spatial and Seasonal Variation of Nitric Acid (HNO3) and Understanding the Formation of NH4NO3 in the HNO3–NH3 system in Korea D. Jung et al.
- Large and increasing stratospheric contribution to tropospheric ozone over East Asia N. Colombi et al.
- Analyzing the Relationship Between Air Pollutant Emissions and Air Quality in Gyeongsangbuk-do (2017-2021) I. Na et al.
- Comprehensive diurnal and nocturnal surface NO2 concentration retrieval with seamless temporal and spatial coverage Y. Zhang et al.
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 24 May 2026
Short summary
We analyze 2015–2023 air quality trends in South Korea using surface and satellite observations. Primary pollutants have decreased, consistent with emissions reductions. Surface O3 continues to increase and PM2.5 has decreased overall, but the nitrate component has not. O3 and PM2.5 nitrate depend on nonlinear responses from precursor emissions. Satellite data indicate a recent shift to NOx-sensitive O3 and nitrate formation, where further NOx reductions will benefit both O3 and PM2.5 pollution.
We analyze 2015–2023 air quality trends in South Korea using surface and satellite observations....
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