Changes in surface ozone in South Korea on diurnal to decadal timescales for the period of 2001–2021

Abstract

Abstract. Several studies have reported an increasing trend of surface ozone in South Korea over the past few decades, using different measurement metrics. In this study, we examined the surface ozone trends in South Korea by analyzing the hourly or daily maximum 8 h average ozone concentrations (MDA8) measured at the surface from 2001 to 2021. We studied the diurnal, seasonal, and multi-decadal variations of these parameters at city, province, and background sites. We found that the fourth-highest MDA8 values exhibited positive trends in seven cities, nine provinces, and two background sites from 2001 to 2021. For the majority of sites, there was an annual increase of approximately 1–2 ppb. After early 2010, all sites consistently recorded MDA8 values exceeding 70 ppb, despite reductions in precursor pollutants such as NO2 and CO. The diurnal and seasonal characteristics of ozone exceedances, defined as the percentage of data points with hourly ozone concentrations exceeding 70 ppb, differed between the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) and the background sites. In the SMA, the exceedances were more prevalent during summer compared to spring, whereas the background sites experienced higher exceedances in spring than in summer. This indicates the efficient local production of ozone in the SMA during summer and the strong influence of long-range transport during spring. The rest of the sites showed similar exceedance patterns during both spring and summer. The peak exceedances occurred around 16:00–17:00 in the SMA and most locations, while the background sites primarily recorded exceedances throughout the night. During the spring of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021), ozone exceedances decreased at most locations, potentially due to significant reductions in NOx emissions in South Korea and China compared to the period of 2010–2019. The largest decreases in exceedances were observed at the background sites during spring. For instance, in Gosung, Gangwondo (approximately 600 m above sea level), the exceedances dropped from 30 % to around 5 % during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional model simulations confirmed the concept of decreased ozone levels in the boundary layer in Seoul and Gangwon-do in response to emission reductions. However, these reductions in ozone exceedances were not observed in major cities and provinces during the summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the decreases in NOx emissions in South Korea and China were much smaller compared to spring. This study highlights the distinctions between spring and summer in the formation and transport of surface ozone in South Korea, emphasizing the importance of monitoring and modeling specific processes for each season or finer timescales.