Variations in Ozone Concentration over the Mid-Latitude Region Revealed by Ozonesonde Observations in Pohang, South Korea

Abstract

Ozone absorbs harmful UV rays at high elevations but acts as a pollutant gas in the lower atmosphere. It is necessary to monitor both the vertical profile and the total column ozone. In this study, variations in the ozone concentration of Pohang were divided into three vertical layers: the stratospheric layer (STL), the second ozone peak layer (SOPL), and the tropospheric layer (TRL). Our results indicated that the ozone concentration in the STL, SOPL, TRL, and total column ozone increased by 0.45%, 2.64%, 5.26%, and 1.07% decade−1, respectively. The increase in the SOPL during springtime indicates that stratosphere–troposphere exchange is accelerating, while the increase during summertime appears to have been influenced by the lower layers. The growth of tropospheric ozone concentration is the result of both increased ozone precursors from industrialization in East Asia and the influx of stratospheric ozone. Our results reaffirmed the trend of ozone concentration in mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere from vertical profiles in Pohang and, in particular, suggests that the recent changes of ozone in this region need to be carefully monitored.

Influence of ENSO on Tropospheric Ozone Variability in East Asia

“…Vertical ozone concentrations in Pohang, South Korea (36.03259°N, 129.37963°E) were measured using radiosondes (KMA, 2022; Shin et al., 2020). These measurements were used to analyze trends and variabilities of ozone concentrations in various altitudes in the region from 1995 to the present.…”

Total Ozone Trends in East Asia from Long-Term Satellite and Ground Observations

“…Based on the results of the monthly time-series analysis, when the atmospheric proxies were considered, the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria regions showed a statistically significant increase of approximately 1%/decade during this period; the increasing trend in the Korean Peninsula was significantly higher than that of the surrounding latitudes. In the Korean Peninsula region, the stratosphere-troposphere exchange has recently been active; as a result, the occurrence of secondary ozone peaks has increased [16,28], and these characteristics appear to have contributed to the increasing trend in this region. In contrast, most of China showed a change of <±0.5%/decade, and the mountain range west of Chengdu showed a decrease of <-1%/decade.…”

“…Moreover, as the first geostationary orbit satellite GK-2B, equipped with a Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) environmental sensor, was recently successfully launched [26] with scheduled intensive ozone observations in East Asia, fundamental research is required to understand the characteristics of ozone variations in the East Asia region from the past to the present. Studies related to the long-term ozone trend in East Asia have been conducted using data on the total column ozone in Seoul or vertical ozone profiles in Pohang [14,16,27,28]. Nevertheless, studies on recent trends and overall changes in the East Asia region as a whole are still insufficient when compared with their importance.…”

The Complexity of Space Utilization and Environmental Pollution Control in the Main Corridor of Makassar City, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

“…Air pollution has a positive contribution to increase air temperature and public health. Recent years, public health problems have a tendency, to increase due to climate change and industrialization [35]. Thus, the increase in industrial activities, commercial activities, office activities, educational activities, and other economic activities followed by the modernization of the development of Makassar City will have a positive contribution to population mobility and contribute positively to the decline in environmental quality and increase in air pollution.…”