' Temporal Variations in Optical Properties and Direct Radiative Forcing of Different Aerosol Chemical Components in Seoul using Hourly Aerosol Sampling

Temporal variations of optical properties of urban aerosol in Seoul were estimated by the Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds (OPAC) model, based on hourly aerosol sampling data in Seoul during the year of 2010. These optical properties were then used to calculate direct radiative forcing during the study period. The optical properties and direct radiative forcing of aerosol were calculated separately for four chemical components such as water-soluble, insoluble, black carbon (BC), and sea-salt aerosols. Overall, the coefficients of absorption, scattering, and extinction, as well as aerosol optical depth (AOD) for water-soluble component predominated over three other aerosol components, except for the absorption coefficient of BC. In the urban environment (Seoul), the contribution of AOD (0.10 similar to 0.12) for the sum of OC and BC to total AODs ranged from 23% (spring) to 31% (winter). The diurnal variation of AOD for each component was high in the morning and low in the late afternoon during the most of seasons, but the high AODs at 14: 00 and 15: 00 LST in summer and fall, respectively. The direct negative radiative forcing of most chemical components (especially, NO3 -of water-soluble) was highest in January and lowest in September. Conversely, the positive radiative forcing of BC was highest in November and lowest in August due to the distribution pattern of BC concentration.