Estimation of sulfur deposition in South Korea

Abstract

Dry and wet depositions of sulfur have been estimated using the routinely available meteorological data at 70 sites, air-monitored data at 27 sites and upper air soundings made daily twice (0000 and 1200 UTC) at three stations over South Korea for 4 yr from 1994 to 1997. The average annual total dry deposition and wet deposition of sulfur in South Korea are found to be 3 and 1.7 t km −2 yr −1, respectively. The ratio of dry-to-wet deposition of sulfur is found to vary with season with a maximum value of 6.6 in winter to a minimum value of 0.5 in summer in association with both precipitation amount and SO 2 concentration. The maximum of annual total sulfur deposition exceeding 10 t km −2 yr −1 occurs in the southeastern part of Korea where big cities and industrial complexes are located, suggesting the importance of SO 2 emission for deposition of sulfur.