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

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 PM10, PM2.5, SO2, 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 PM2.5 showing a greater difference than PM10. Diurnal variations revealed that PM10, PM2.5, and NO2 peaked in the morning and reached their lowest levels around 3 PM, with urban levels consistently higher than those in agricultural areas. SO2 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.