Statistically Analyzed Effects of Coal-Fired Power Plants in West Coast on the Surface Air Pollutants over Seoul Metropolitan Area

Abstract

The effects of the coal-fired power plant emissions, as the biggest point source of air pollutants, on spatio-temporal surface air pollution over the remote area are investigated in this study, based on a set of date selection and statistical technique to consider meteorological and geographical effects in the emission-concentration (source-receptor) relationship. We here proposed the sophisticated technique of data processing to separate and quantify the effects. The data technique comprises a set of data selection and statistical analysis procedure that include data selection criteria depending on meteorological conditions and statistical methods such as Kolmogorov-Zurbenko filter (K-Z filter) and empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. The data selection procedure is important for filtering measurement data to consider the meteorological and geographical effects on the emission-concentration relationship. Together with meteorological data from the new high resolution ECMWF reanalysis 5 (ERAS) and the Korea Meteorological Administration automated surface observing system, air pollutant emission data from the telemonitoring system (TMS) of Dangjin and Taean power plants as well as spatio-temporal air pollutant concentrations from the air quality monitoring system are used for 4 years period of 2014-2017. Since all the data used in this study have the temporal resolution of 1 hour, the first EOF mode of spatio-temporal changes in air pollutant concentrations over the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA) due to power plant emission have been analyzed to explain over 97% of total variability under favorable meteorological conditions. It is concluded that SO2, NO2, and PM10 concentrations over the SMA would be decreased by 0.468, 1.050 ppb, and 2.045 mu g m(-3) respectively if SO2, NO2, and TSP emissions from Dangjin power plant were reduced by 10%. In the same way, the 10% emission reduction in Taean power plant emissions would cause SO2, NO2, and PM10 decreased by 0.284, 0.842 ppb, and 1.230 mu g m(-3) over the SMA respectively. Emissions from Dangjin power plant affect air pollution over the SMA in higher amount, but with lower R value, than those of Taean under the same meteorological condition.