Starting Next Year, NASA and Others to Conduct the '2nd Asia Air Quality International Joint Survey'

Domestic and International Researchers Identify Causes of Fine Dust
Preliminary Survey to Begin in Seosan, Chungnam from October
Comprehensive Ground, Air, and Satellite Atmospheric Monitoring
Expectations for Region-Specific Air Quality Improvement Measures

Asia Economy DB=Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] From next year until 2024, the "2nd Asia Air Quality International Joint Survey," involving researchers from Korea, the United States, Belgium, Germany, and Japan, will be conducted.

The Ministry of Environment and the National Institute of Environmental Research announced on the 13th that the "Preliminary Joint Research Survey among Korean, American, and Belgian Research Institutes" to identify the causes of fine dust in Korea is currently underway, centered in Seosan, Chungnam.

The preliminary survey is being conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Research, domestic universities, NASA, and the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy ahead of the 2nd Asia Air Quality International Joint Survey.

Started in October, the preliminary survey will continue until the 18th, mobilizing all air pollution monitoring equipment from ground, aerial, and satellite observations targeting the Seosan area.

Using the Chungcheong Air Quality Research Institute in Seosan as a forward base, the survey employs domestic and international equipment including its own air pollution measurement network to conduct ground remote sensing, aerial observations, and geostationary environmental satellite monitoring.

The survey items include nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and aerosols, which are the same observation items as those of the geostationary environmental satellite. Vertical distribution of nitrogen dioxide and ozone from the ground to the upper atmosphere is being observed. The main survey areas are the Chungcheong Air Quality Research Institute, Seosan City Hall, and the Daesan petrochemical complex.

After the preliminary survey ends, the 2nd Asia Air Quality International Joint Survey will expand to cover the entire Chungnam region and the metropolitan area starting next year. A joint survey report is expected to be released by the end of 2024.

The 2nd joint survey is an international study to verify observation data from the geostationary environmental satellite launched last February. It is an expansion of the 1st Korea-US Air Quality International Joint Survey conducted in 2015-2016.

Researchers from the National Institute of Environmental Research, Seoul National University, Korea University, Yonsei University, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Pusan National University, and Pukyong National University will participate in the 2nd joint survey. Overseas participants include NASA, the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, the Max Planck Institute and University of Bremen in Germany, and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.

On the 14th, Jang Yoon-seok, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Research, and Maeng Jeong-ho, Mayor of Seosan, will visit the Chungcheong Air Quality Research Institute to order a three-dimensional and comprehensive investigation and discuss cooperation plans with the researchers.

Through this survey, it is expected that the characteristics of air pollution such as fine dust in the Seosan area during winter will be scientifically analyzed, enabling the establishment and implementation of region-specific air quality improvement measures in the future.

Jang Yoon-seok, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Research, stated, "Using the collective intelligence of domestic and international experts and cutting-edge equipment such as ground, aerial, and satellite instruments, we will derive a three-dimensional and comprehensive analysis of the air quality characteristics in Seosan and the Chungnam region to support the promotion of air quality improvement measures in Chungnam."

Maeng Jeong-ho, Mayor of Seosan, said, "Seosan has many sources that emit large amounts of air pollutants, making air quality improvement an urgent issue. We will do our best to establish an active cooperative relationship with the Ministry of Environment to achieve prompt air quality improvement."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.