2018 Volume 22 Issue 1-2 Pages 55-64
PM2.5 samples were collected in the Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, Baengnyeong, Jeju and Ulsan areas in 2014. Water-soluble ions, elements and carbonaceous PM2.5 species were analyzed and the concentration distribution and seasonal characteristics were investigated. The annual mean concentrations of PM2.5 were 25.9, 28.1, 27.4, 24.1, 15.5, 22.4 µg/m3 in Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, Baengnyeong, Jeju and Ulsan, respectively. Water-soluble inorganic ions accounted for 52.9 to 61.3％ of the total PM2.5 mass concentrations. Sulfate, nitrate and ammonium were the major water-soluble ions in the aerosols. The elemental compositions were dominated by potassium, calcium and iron, and the proportion of total elemental components ranged from 6.3 to 8.2％ in the PM2.5 mass concentrations. The annual average contribution of TC（Total carbon）to PM2.5 mass ranged from 18.3 to 26.6％. Iron, lead and zinc constituted the main elements in these fine particles. In the case of ions, NH4＋, NO3－, and SO42－ exhibited much variation according to season. As for the seasonal characteristics of elements, most regions showed high concentrations of crustal elements in spring. Organic carbon concentrations were generally higher in winter than in summer.
