Comparative Analysis of Air Quality in Agricultural and Urban Areas in Korea

Jeong-Deok Baek, Hung-Soo Joo (), Sung-Hyun Bae, Byung-Wook Oh, Min-Wook Kim and Jin-Ho Kim ()
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Jeong-Deok Baek: Department of Environmental Engineering, Anyang University, Anyang 14028, Republic of Korea
Hung-Soo Joo: Department of Environmental Engineering, Anyang University, Anyang 14028, Republic of Korea
Sung-Hyun Bae: Department of Environmental Engineering, Anyang University, Anyang 14028, Republic of Korea
Byung-Wook Oh: Climate Change Assessment Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju 55365, Republic of Korea
Min-Wook Kim: Climate Change Assessment Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju 55365, Republic of Korea
Jin-Ho Kim: Climate Change Assessment Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju 55365, Republic of Korea

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-15

Abstract: Air pollution monitoring in Korea has not yet been implemented in agricultural areas. Documenting air quality in purely agricultural areas is inherently valuable. This study compares agricultural air quality with urban air quality during two periods: (1) the entire measurement period and (2) high-PM episodes. To ensure broad spatial coverage, eight monitoring stations were installed in Yeoju, Nonsan, Naju, Gimhae, Hongcheon, Danyang, Muan, and Sangju. Real-time measurements of PM 10 , PM 2.5 , SO 2 , and NOx were conducted continuously from March 2023 to December 2024. Over the entire measurement period, PM concentrations were similar in both agricultural and urban areas, but gaseous pollutants were lower in agricultural areas. PM levels were higher in agricultural areas during summer, whereas urban areas showed higher concentrations in other seasons. During high-PM episodes (29 days), all pollutants were significantly higher in urban areas, with PM 2.5 showing a greater difference than PM 10 . Diurnal variations revealed that PM 10 , PM 2.5 , and NO 2 peaked in the morning and reached their lowest levels around 3 PM, with urban levels consistently higher than those in agricultural areas. SO 2 showed a different pattern, reaching its lowest concentration at 6 AM and peaking at noon in urban areas and at 6 PM in agricultural areas. This pattern closely followed temperature and wind speed variations.

Keywords: air pollution; agricultural air quality; particulate matter; high-PM episodes; meteorological parameters (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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