Long-term Sulfur Emissions and Environmental Kuznets Curves: Comparison and Implications

Huang, Zheng,Tonooka, Yutaka,Sekiguchi, Kazuhiko,Wang, Qingyue,Sakamoto, Kazuhiko Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment 2009 Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment (AJAE) Vol.3 No.1

The environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis assumes an inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental damage and income, and such curves have been used to study how economic growth affects the environment. In this study, we analyzed data for gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and for sulfur emissions in the industrialized countries of the United Kingdom, United States of America, and Japan, as well as data for the developing country of China, to determine the relationship between emissions and income in these countries. Attempts by these countries' governments to incorporate environmental policy considerations into the income-environment relationship were also examined. The potential role of the environmental Kuznets curve as a policy tool was investigated. We determined that, at least in the case of sulfur emissions, policies and institutions significantly reduced environmental degradation in the industrialized countries studied. Furthermore, the environmental Kuznets curve can reliably predict the future relationship between environmental impact and GDP for developing countries.

Atmospheric Bioaerosol, Bacillus sp., at an Altitude of 3,500 m over the Noto Peninsula: Direct Sampling via Aircraft

Kobayashi, Fumihisa,Morosawa, Shinji,Maki, Teruya,Kakikawa, Makiko,Yamada, Maromu,Tobo, Yutaka,Hon, Chun-Sang,Matsuki, Atsushi,Iwasaka, Yasunobu Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment 2011 Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment (AJAE) Vol.5 No.3

This work focuses on the analysis of bioaerosols in the atmosphere at higher altitudes over Noto Peninsula, Japan. We carried out direct sampling via aircraft, separated cultures, and identified present isolates. Atmospheric bioaerosols at higher altitudes were collected using a Cessna 404 aircraft for an hour at an altitude of 3,500 m over the Noto Peninsula. The aircraft-based direct sampling system was devised to improve upon the system of balloon-based sampling. In order to examine pre-existing microorganism contamination on the surface of the aircraft body, bioaerosol sampling was carried out just before takeoff using the same method as atmospheric sampling. Identification was carried out by a homology search for 16S or 18S rDNA isolate sequences in DNA databases (GenBank). Isolate sampling just before takeoff revealed Stretpomyces sp., Micrococcus sp., and Cladosporium sp. One additional strain, Bacillus sp., was isolated from the sample after bioaerosol collection at high altitude. As the microorganism contamination on the aircraft body before takeoff differed from that while in the air, the presence of additional, higher atmosphere-based microorganisms was confirmed. It was found that Bacillus sp. was floating at an altitude of 3,500 m over Noto Peninsula.

A Review on the Atmospheric Concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Asia Since 2000 - Part I: Data from Developed Countries

Suvarapu, Lakshmi Narayana,Seo, Young-Kyo,Lee, Beom-Seok,Baek, Sung-Ok Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment 2012 Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment (AJAE) Vol.6 No.3

Among all hazardous air pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are more significant owing to their carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic properties. Many researchers worldwide have focused on determining the concentrations of PAHs in ambient air. However, the literature survey reveals that the seriousness of air pollution in Asia in terms of PAHs, compared to the rest of the world. Owing to the importance of PAHs in Asia, this paper reviews the concentrations of PAHs in Asia in recent years. For convenience, this paper describes the concentrations of PAHs in developed Asian countries reported during 2000-2011 as Part-I and in developing Asian countries as Part-II. The first section of this review provides a brief description of the properties, sources of PAHs and the health effects caused by their presence in the atmosphere. The ambient air PAH concentrations in both particle and vapor phases in developed Asian countries are then discussed. This study finds the ambient air concentrations of PAHs in developed Asian countries was higher than the Western countries but was lower than the developing Asian countries. The present review predicts the accurate toxicity due to the presence of PAHs in the atmosphere by calculating the Risk Weighted Concentration (RWC), regardless of the total amount of PAHs. The total data obtained during the literature survey is tabulated and presented as supplementary information to the readers.

How about the IAQ in Subway Environment and Its Management?

Song, Ji-Han,Lee, Hee-Kwan,Kim, Shin-Do,Kim, Dong-Sool Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment 2008 Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment (AJAE) Vol.2 No.1

The spatial limitations of urban environments in general lead to invention and design of a wide range of underground transportation systems such as subways, underground roads and paths, etc. Among them, the application of subway systems in metropolitan cities is most commonly observed to ease those confronted difficulties on this purpose. It in turn leaves passengers and workers to be exposed to indoor air potentially polluted by various sources existing in this underground environment. Specifically when considering the IAQ in a subway station, there exist many IAQ-related parameters to be counted either as individual or as integrated exposures. In this study, a model system has been developed to manage the general IAQ in a subway station. Field survey and $CO_2$ measurements were initially conducted to analyze and understand the relationship between the indoor and outdoor air quality while considering the internal pollution sources such as passengers, subway trains, etc. The measurement data were then employed for the model development with other static information. For the model development, the algorithm of simple continuity was built and applied to model the subway IAQ concerned. In this paper, the recent updated draft version of model developed will be reported and demonstrated.

A Detection of Airborne Particles Carrying Viable Bacteria in an Urban Atmosphere of Japan

Hara, Kazutaka,Zhang, Daizhou,Yamada, Maromu,Matsusaki, Hiromi,Arizono, Koji Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment 2011 Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment (AJAE) Vol.5 No.3

Viable bacteria on water-insoluble airborne particles were detected in the urban atmosphere of Kumamoto ($134^{\circ}45'E$, $32^{\circ}28'N$), Japan, in autumn 2008. Airborne particles were collected onto film-covered Cu meshes under clear weather conditions. The samples were stained by fluorescent stains, and then viewed and photographed with an epifluorescent microscope. Non-biological and bacterial parts in particles larger than 0.8 ${\mu}m$ were distinguished by their morphologies, fluorescent colors and fluorescent intensities. Bacterial viable statuses were discriminated according to cell membrane damage. In total, 2681 particles were investigated and it was found that 78 airborne particles were associated with bacteria. Viable bacteria were identified on 48 particles. A few particles carried multiple viable bacteria. These results provide the evidence that airborne particles act as carriers of viable bacteria in the atmosphere.

Application of Digital Signal Analysis Technique to Enhance the Quality of Tracer Gas Measurements in IAQ Model Tests

Lee, Hee-Kwan,Awbi, Hazim B. Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment 2007 한국대기환경학회지 Vol.23 No.E2

The introduction of tracer gas techniques to ventilation studies in indoor environments provides valuable information that used to be unattainable from conventional testing environments. Data acquisition systems (DASs) containing analogue-to-digital (A/D) converters are usually used to function the key role that records signals to storage in digital format. In the testing process, there exist a number of components in the measuring equipment which may produce system-based inference to the monitored results. These unwanted fluctuations may cause significant error in data analysis, especially when non-linear algorithms are involved. In this study, a pre-processor is developed and applied to separate the unwanted fluctuations (noise or interference) in raw measurements and to reduce the uncertainty in the measurement. Moving average, notch filter, FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filters, and IIR (Infinite Impulse Response) filters are designed and applied to collect the desired information from the raw measurements. Tracer gas concentrations are monitored during leakage and ventilation tests in the model test room. The signal analysis functions are introduced to carry out the digital signal processing (DSP) work. Overall the FIR filters process the $CO_2$ measurement properly for ventilation rate and mean age of air calculations. It is found that, the Kaiser filter was the most applicable digital filter for pre-processing the tracer gas measurements. Although the IIR filters help to reduce the random noise in the data, they cause considerable changes to the filtered data, which is not desirable.

Concentration and Seasonal Variation of Particle PCBs in Air

Yeo Hyun-Gu,Chun Man-Young Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment 2005 한국대기환경학회지 Vol.21 No.E1

Atmospheric concentrations of PCBs were monitored in Ansung-city, Kyonggi province during the 2001/2002 to characterize the concentration distribution and seasonal variation of particle polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Average concentration of particle bound PCB showed maximum value for penta-CBs and minimum value for octa-CBs. Seasonal contributions $(%\)$ of total particle PCBs showed the highest value in winter months and lowest value in summer month, This result indicated that concentration of total particle PCBs increased with decreasing temperature in the atmosphere. Therefore, particle PCBs were easily formed by the condensation of gas phase PCBs in winter months. The total particle PCBs exhibited an inverse correlation with temperature (p<0.01) which suggested that particle PCBs were easily formed by condensation of gaseous PCBs in winter months.

Aerosol Wall Loss in Teflon Film Chambers Filled with Ambient Air

Lee Seung-Bok,Bae Gwi-Nam,Moon Kil-Choo Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment 2004 한국대기환경학회지 Vol.20 No.E1

Aerosol wall loss is an important factor affecting smog chamber experiments, especially with chambers made of Teflon film. In this work, the aerosol wall loss was investigated in 2.5 and $5.8-m^3$ cubic-shaped Teflon film chambers filled with ambient air. The natural change in the particle size distribution was measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer in a dark environment. The rate of aerosol wall loss was obtained from the deposition theory suggested by Crump and Seinfeld (1981). The measured rates of aero-sol wall loss were In a good agreement with the theoretical and experimental values given by McMurry and Rader (1985), implying that the electrostatic effect enhances particle deposition on the chamber wall. The significance of aerosol wall loss correction was demonstrated with the photochemical reaction experiments using the ambient air.

The Relationship between Temperature Patterns and Urban Morfometri in the Jakarta City, Indonesia

Maru, Rosmini,Ahmad, Shaharuddin Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment 2015 Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment (AJAE) Vol.9 No.2

Sky View Factor (SVF) is one of the urban morfometri parameters that impact on the Urban Heat Island (UHI). SVF analisys was conducted in the city of Jakarta to investigate the relationship between urban temperature with urban morfometri. Jakarta City is the most populous city in the world that has a surrounding area $66,152km^2$ and the total population around 23 million people. The population of the city is the sixth highest in the world today. SVF measurements done by taking pictures at the six stations that have different morphological characteristics namely (1) the narrow streets Apartment Cempaka Mas (JS ITC), (2) the width of the road Apartment Cempaka Mas (JL ITC), (3) in front of Colleges Kanisius (DKK), (4) in front of office Journalist of Indonesia (DKWI), (5) Utan Kayu (UK), and (6) Tambun (TB). SVF value is obtained from the photgraphic image. Taking pictures at the location using a Nikon D90 camera with a Nikon Fisheye Nikkor 10.5 mm 1 : 2.8 G ED, further processed through a global mapper program. Therefore, the SVF derived from the six stations that vary 0.21 to 0.78. Temperature measurement is done during daylight hours from 06:00 am to 18:00 pm during the Western Part of Indonesia (WIB). Measurements performed at three different times, namely working days (HK) regular holidays (HCB) national holidays (HCN). The results showed that the highest average temperature of $33.32^{\circ}C$, occurring at UK station (SVF=0.45) at the time of HCB. Meanwhile, the average low temperature of $31.22^{\circ}C$ occurred at JLITC station (SVF=0.42). The two-time occurred on ordinary holidays. Maximum temperature of $38.4^{\circ}C$ occurred in Utan Kayu station (SFV=0.45) that occurred at 11.00 hrs, normal holidays. Furthermore minimum temperature 24.5 occurred at Tambun station (SVF=0.78) at 06.00 hrs in the morning at the usual holidays and national holidays. In general, the results showed that areas with large SVF has a lower temperature compared with areas with smaller SVF. Though, are not the only factors that matter, but this research may show that an increase in temperature in the city of Jakarta. Therefore, it is necessary to mitigate the serious from the government or society.

Diurnal and Nocturnal Behaviour of Airborne Cryptomeria japonica Pollen Grains and the Allergenic Species in Urban Atmosphere of Saitama, Japan

Wang, Qingyue,Nakamura, Shinichi,Lu, Senlin,Nakajima, Daisuke,Suzuki, Miho,Sekiguchi, Kazuhiko,Miwa, Makoto Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment 2013 Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment (AJAE) Vol.7 No.2

Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollinosis is the most popular pollinosis in Japan. It has been reported that Cryptomeria japonica pollen allergenic species are suspended as fine particles in the urban atmosphere. These allergenic fine particles are responsible for inducing asthma by breaking into the lower respiratory tract. It has also been found that pollinosis symptoms on the sufferers appear mainly at night-time by the results from epidemiological studies. However, the exact reason for these phenomena is not yet clarified. In this study, the diurnal and nocturnal behaviours of Cryptomeria japonica pollen grains and their allergenic species in the urban area of Saitama city of Kanto Plain were investigated. Airborne pollen grains and allergenic Cry j 1 concentrations in total suspended particulate matter (TSP) were investigated at two sampling sites, a heavy traffic road (roadside site) and at the balcony of the $10^{th}$ floor of the Building of Research and Project of Saitama University (general urban site). The latter sampling site where located about 300 m away from the roadside site was used as a general urban site unaffected by automobile traffic. The airborne pollen counts were measured with a real-time pollen monitor. Cry j 1 particles were collected with two high volume air samplers, and these concentrations were measured by surface plasmon resonance method with a Biacore J system. The diurnal variation of the airborne pollen counts was similar to the trends of temperature and wind speed during the day-time; whereas its tendency with wind speed trend was not observed during the night-time. Airborne pollen counts were lower with northern wind than with southern wind because the pollen comes from the mountainous areas, and the mountains in the south are closer, about half the distance to the northern mountains. It is suggested that the peaks of airborne pollen counts during night-time in the sampling site occurred by transport of pollen grains released during day-time in the mountainous forest areas, located c.a. 100 km away from the sampling site. On the roadside site the allergenic Cry j 1 concentrations were higher than at the general urban site, nevertheless pollen grains counts were lower. These results suggested that worsening of pollinosis symptoms during night-time in urban area was caused by transport of pollen grains during day-time in the mountainous forest areas. Moreover, pollen allergenic species become different morphology from pollen grain at roadside site, and the subsequent pollen grains re-suspension by automobile traffic.