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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- Multifunctional eco-friendly electrospun nanofibers with visible-light responsive nanoparticles for integrated particulate matter capture, VOC degradation, and antibacterial air purification P. Rohini et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2026.e02119
- Decade-long variability of winter aerosols in East Asia and their associations with climatic factors Y. Jeong et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2025.108415
- Evaluation of accuracy on bottom-up NH3 emissions and sensitivity of PM2.5 to emission control in South Korea K. Han et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121434
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- Performance Evaluation of Satellite Observation of Sand/Dust Weather and Its Application in Assessing the Accuracy of Numerical Models P. Chan et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/app152111745
- Pollutant-specific effects of urban air policy: Causal evidence from South Korea's Clean Air Act J. Im et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2026.102809
- Nature-based solutions and PM2.5: Insights from urban greening in Suwon, South Korea Y. Jang https://doi.org/10.15531/KSCCR.2025.16.5.975
- Comparing rural and urban NO2 column densities from GEMS across East Asia: Diurnal and seasonal differences L. Gagnon et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2026.122176
- Large and increasing stratospheric contribution to tropospheric ozone over East Asia N. Colombi et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2623-2026
- Heatwave-driven amplification of ozone formation offsets emission control benefits in VOC-limited megacities H. Ji et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.130358
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- Intercity-scale linkage of cold-season PM2.5 and emissions over South Korea: structural diagnostics from scalable spatial decomposition J. Seo et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae2ee9
- Ozone-driven non-linear controls on nighttime ClNO2 formation: Unintended oxidant increases under NOx control W. Nam et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.142772
- Investigation of cytotoxic effects of water-soluble components in PM2.5 on human primary cells derived from multiple organs S. Choi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2026.e44754
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- Analysis of Ozone Formation Sensitivity in the Seoul Metropolitan Area Using TROPOMI FNR (HCHO/NO2 Ratio) from 2019 to 2024 J. Lee et al. https://doi.org/10.7780/kjrs.2025.41.6.5
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- Influence of Near-Surface Wind Speed Changes on PM<sub>10</sub> Concentrations in Central Korea in Spring 2000-2024 J. Cho & H. Kim https://doi.org/10.5467/JKESS.2025.46.4.303
- 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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2026.108118
- From progress to precision: a decadal reassessment of national particulate matter footprint across industries and regions J. Kim et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-025-37008-9
- Radical chemistry and ozone responses under different chemical mechanisms in WRF-Chem: Implications for emission control strategies K. Kim et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2026.122198
- 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. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44408-025-00090-2
- Analyzing the Relationship Between Air Pollutant Emissions and Air Quality in Gyeongsangbuk-do (2017-2021) I. Na et al. https://doi.org/10.4491/KSEE.2025.47.9.611
- Comprehensive diurnal and nocturnal surface NO2 concentration retrieval with seamless temporal and spatial coverage Y. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121764
26 citations as recorded by crossref.
- 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. https://doi.org/10.11614/KSL.2025.58.6.558
- Multifunctional eco-friendly electrospun nanofibers with visible-light responsive nanoparticles for integrated particulate matter capture, VOC degradation, and antibacterial air purification P. Rohini et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2026.e02119
- Decade-long variability of winter aerosols in East Asia and their associations with climatic factors Y. Jeong et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2025.108415
- Evaluation of accuracy on bottom-up NH3 emissions and sensitivity of PM2.5 to emission control in South Korea K. Han et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121434
- TransNet: a transport-informed graph neural network for forecasting PM2.5 concentrations across South Korea R. Dimri et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44407-026-00052-x
- Performance Evaluation of Satellite Observation of Sand/Dust Weather and Its Application in Assessing the Accuracy of Numerical Models P. Chan et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/app152111745
- Pollutant-specific effects of urban air policy: Causal evidence from South Korea's Clean Air Act J. Im et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2026.102809
- Nature-based solutions and PM2.5: Insights from urban greening in Suwon, South Korea Y. Jang https://doi.org/10.15531/KSCCR.2025.16.5.975
- Comparing rural and urban NO2 column densities from GEMS across East Asia: Diurnal and seasonal differences L. Gagnon et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2026.122176
- Large and increasing stratospheric contribution to tropospheric ozone over East Asia N. Colombi et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2623-2026
- Heatwave-driven amplification of ozone formation offsets emission control benefits in VOC-limited megacities H. Ji et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.130358
- The changing sensitivity of wintertime particulate nitrate to precursor emissions diagnosed via GEOS-Chem and satellite observations of ammonia and nitrogen dioxide over the Midwestern United States T. Vo & A. Christiansen https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-9493-2026
- Semantic Segmentation of Urbanized Areas Using Multi-Encoder U-Net Based on Multi-Modal Data S. Gong et al. https://doi.org/10.7780/kjrs.2025.41.2.2.6
- Intercity-scale linkage of cold-season PM2.5 and emissions over South Korea: structural diagnostics from scalable spatial decomposition J. Seo et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae2ee9
- Ozone-driven non-linear controls on nighttime ClNO2 formation: Unintended oxidant increases under NOx control W. Nam et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.142772
- Investigation of cytotoxic effects of water-soluble components in PM2.5 on human primary cells derived from multiple organs S. Choi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2026.e44754
- Distribution of Individual 1-Year and 5-Year Average Exposures to Air Pollution in South Korea (2006~2023) V. Nguyen et al. https://doi.org/10.5668/JEHS.2026.52.3.259
- Analysis of Ozone Formation Sensitivity in the Seoul Metropolitan Area Using TROPOMI FNR (HCHO/NO2 Ratio) from 2019 to 2024 J. Lee et al. https://doi.org/10.7780/kjrs.2025.41.6.5
- 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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2026.103026
- Influence of Near-Surface Wind Speed Changes on PM<sub>10</sub> Concentrations in Central Korea in Spring 2000-2024 J. Cho & H. Kim https://doi.org/10.5467/JKESS.2025.46.4.303
- 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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2026.108118
- From progress to precision: a decadal reassessment of national particulate matter footprint across industries and regions J. Kim et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-025-37008-9
- Radical chemistry and ozone responses under different chemical mechanisms in WRF-Chem: Implications for emission control strategies K. Kim et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2026.122198
- 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. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44408-025-00090-2
- Analyzing the Relationship Between Air Pollutant Emissions and Air Quality in Gyeongsangbuk-do (2017-2021) I. Na et al. https://doi.org/10.4491/KSEE.2025.47.9.611
- Comprehensive diurnal and nocturnal surface NO2 concentration retrieval with seamless temporal and spatial coverage Y. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121764
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 17 Jul 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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