In the morning of the 16th, Incheon’s Songdo city center viewed from the Songdo IBS Tower in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon. On the 16th, the concentration of fine dust soared high as the whole country entered the sphere of influence of yellow dust. News 1
Yellow dust from Mongolia and northern China hit the Korean peninsula on the 16th. This yellow dust is expected to affect Korea until the 17th.
The National Institute of Environmental Research’s Fine Dust Integration Forecast Center announced that from the 14th, yellow dust originated from the Inner Mongolia Highlands and northeastern China will flow into the country on the 16th through the north wind, and the whole country will be affected by the yellow dust.
The concentration of fine dust in the metropolitan area, Gangwon area, Chungcheong area, Gwangju, Jeonbuk, Daegu, and Gyeongbuk is expected to be’bad’, and other areas are expected to be at a level of’normal’. It is expected that the metropolitan area, Chungcheong area, and Gyeongbuk will temporarily become’very bad’ in the afternoon, while Jeonnam, Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam and Jeju areas are expected to be temporarily’bad’ in the afternoon.
On the 16th, simulation of the path of the yellow sand that covered Korea Materials National Institute of Environmental Sciences
As yellow dust came in from the northwest, as of 11 am, the level of fine dust was high in the west, such as Incheon 180㎍/㎥, Seoul 134㎍/㎥, and Chungnam 143㎍/㎥. For fine dust (PM10), which is a numerical value mainly reflecting yellow dust, 31~80㎍/㎥ is classified as’normal’, 81~150㎍/㎥ is’bad’, and 151㎍/㎥ or more is classified as’very bad’. Incheon once soared to 244㎍/㎥, and Seoul recorded a maximum of 176㎍/㎥ (Guro-gu).
Gangwon-Gyeongbuk first affected area caught in mountain range
The northwest region, which is the direction in which the yellow dust enters, and the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, where the yellow dust begins to descend early due to the downdraft behind the mountain range, show high concentrations of fine dust. Materials National Institute of Environmental Sciences
According to the Meteorological Administration, the’peak time’, when the yellow dust covered the entire country in the darkest, was between 4 and 5 am on the 16th. Unlike ultrafine dust that increases in concentration on the ground at the same time as inflow, yellow sand comes from high altitude deserts, so it enters the upper atmosphere and stays in the air, gradually increasing the concentration of fine dust on the ground.
For this reason, the Gangwon and Gyeongbuk regions, where the upper air was caught in the mountain range, caused a downdraft, and began to be affected by yellow dust from the early morning of the 16th. High concentrations were recorded in Daegu (218㎍/㎥) and Gyeongbuk (144㎍/㎥), and high concentrations exceeding 300㎍/㎥ in Jeongseon (358㎍/㎥) in Gangwon and Andong in Gyeongbuk (333㎍/㎥) in the morning. Fine dust was observed.
The current status of yellow dust near the Korean Peninsula as of 10 am on the 16th. Materials Meteorological Agency
The more the atmosphere spreads, the worse the yellow dust.
The current situation of yellow dust near East Asia on the 16th. Materials Meteorological Agency
As of the 16th, high-density yellow dust of over 320㎍/㎥ has been located in the air over the Korean peninsula in simulation. An official from the forecast center predicted, “The upper atmosphere is covered with yellow dust all over Korea, and the concentration will vary from region to region depending on how far the yellow dust descends to the ground.”
When high-concentration ultrafine dust occurs, the concentration decreases when diffusion to the upper and lower layers of the atmosphere becomes active during the day, but yellow dust tends to the opposite. An official from the forecast center explained, “The concentration of ultrafine dust on the ground decreases due to vertical diffusion, but as the vertical diffusion occurs, the concentration on the ground can be further increased by dragging the yellow dust from the upper layer.”
An official from the forecast center said, “As the north wind air flows in continuously on the 16th, the yellow dust in the upper layer may move in some areas during the day, but most of the yellow dust is expected to continue until the 17th. Depending on the region, the influence may continue until the 18th.”
Reporter Kim Jeongyeon [email protected]
