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Hourly measurements of PM 2.5 , organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC), inorganic ionic species, and elemental constituents were made between February 1 and March 31, 2011, at a South Area Supersite at Gwangju, Korea. Over the two-month study period, daily PM 2.5 mass concentration exceeded the 24-hr average Korean NAAQS of 50.0 μg/m 3 on 20 days, of which two pollution episodes (episodes I and II) are investigated. Episode I (February 01-08) is associated with regional pollution along with wild fire smoke emissions over southern China, and also characterized by high CO/NO x ratios and high K + concentrations. While episode II (March 11-12) is characterized by locally produced pollution with low CO/NO x ratios, and broad variations in OC, EC, and NO 3 -concentrations. For episode I, the 1-hr PM 2.5 mass concentration ranged from 27 to 159 μg/m 3 with a mean of 88 μg/m . Hourly maximum contributions of SO 4 2-and NO 3 -to the PM 2.5 mass were 54 and 66%, respectively. An elevated NO 3 -concentration was observed along with high OC and EC concentrations, suggesting the influence of local emissions. The pattern of SO 4 2-variations in relation to wind direction and the strong correlation between SO 2 and SO 4 2-suggest local SO 2 emissions were likely an important source of SO 4 2-at the site.

A new dust detection algorithm is developed by combining the results of multiple dust detection methods using IR channels onboard the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Brightness Temperature Difference (BTD) between two wavelength channels has been used widely in previous dust detection methods. However, BTD methods have limitations in identifying the offset values of the BTD to discriminate clear-sky areas. The current algorithm overcomes the disadvantages of previous dust detection methods by considering the Brightness Temperature Ratio (BTR) values of the dual wavelength channels with 30-day composite, the optical properties of the dust particles, the variability of surface properties, and the cloud contamination. Therefore, the current algorithm shows improvements in detecting the dust loaded region over land during daytime. Finally, the confidence index of the current dust algorithm is shown in 10 × 10 pixels of the MODIS observations. From January to June, 2006, the results of the current algorithm are within 64 to 81% of those found using the fine mode fraction (FMF) and aerosol index (AI) from the MODIS and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). The agreement between the results of the current algorithm and the OMI AI over the non-polluted land also ranges from 60 to 67% to avoid errors due to the anthropogenic aerosol. In addition, the developed algorithm shows statistically significant results at four AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) sites in East Asia.

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A series of coupled atmosphere-ocean-land global climate model (GCM) simulations using the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate System Model 3 (CCSM3) has been performed for the period 1870-2099 at a T85 horizontal resolution following the GCM experimental design suggested in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). First, a hindcast was performed using the atmospheric concentrations of three greenhouse gases (CO 2 , CH 4 , N 2 O) specified annually and globally on the basis of observations for the period 1870-1999. The hindcast results were compared with observations to evaluate the GCM's reliability in future climate simulations. Second, climate projections for a 100-year period were made using six scenarios of the atmospheric concentrations of the three greenhouse gases according to the A1FI, A1T, A1B, A2, B1, and B2 emission profiles of the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios. The present CCSM simulations are found to be consistent with IPCC's AR4 results in the temporal and spatial distributions for both the present-day and future periods. The GCM results were used to examine the changes in extreme temperatures and precipitation in East Asia and Korea. The extreme temperatures were categorized into warm and cold events: the former includes tropical nights, warm days, and heat waves during summer (June-July-August) and the latter includes frost days, cold days, and cold surges during winter (December-January-February). Focusing on Korea, the results predict more frequent heat waves in response to future emissions: the projected percentage changes between the present day and the late 2090s range from 294% to 583% depending on the emission scenario. The projected global warming is predicted to decrease the frequency of cold extreme events; however, the projected changes in cold surge frequency are not statistically significant. Whereas the number of cold surges in the A1FI emission profile decreases from the present-day value by up to 24%, the decrease in the B1 scenario is less than 1%. The frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events year-round were examined. Both the frequency and the intensity of these events are predicted to increase in the region around Korea. The present results will be helpful for establishing an adaptation strategy for possible climate change nationwide, especially extreme climate events, associated with global warming.