Enhancement of Aerosol Concentration in Korea due to the Northeast Asian Forest Fire in May 2003

Enhancement of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and surface aerosol mass concentration in Korea for an active forest fire episode in Northeast Asia were estimated by Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. MODIS/TERRA remote detects of fires in Northeast Asia for May 2003 gave a constraint for estimation of wildfire emissions with an NDVI distribution for recent five years. The simulated wildfire plumes and enhancement of AOT were evaluated and well resolved by comparing multiple satellite observations such as MODIS, TOMS, and others. Scatter plots of observed daily mean aerosol extinction coefficient versus PM10 concentration in ground level in Korea showed distinctively different trends based on the ambient relative humidity.