Spatial and Temporal Distributions of PM10 and PM2.5 Concentrations in Chungcheongnam-do

Many large-scale air pollution sources such as a steel mill, coal-fired power stations, and petrochemical plant are located in ChungNam (CN) area. In this study, spatial and temporal distributions of PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were analyzed using 1-h average data obtained from 29 air quality monitoring stations (AQMS) located in CN area, where is divided by three regions such as northern, southern, and southeastern regions. Among them, the highest PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were observed in northern region where is influenced by motor vehicles in highly populated Cheonan and Asan, and large emission sources in Dangjin. Recently, annual average PM10 concentrations of CN are lower than national standard, but they still do not meet local standard. And, annual average PM2.5 concentrations of CN are over both national and local standards. A significant difference was found among AQMSs in the same province because each AQMS might be heavily influenced by local emission sources. So, data from AQMSs located near the high emission source should be carefully interpreted. Considering distribution of various emission sources, a large number of AQMS data can be useful in analyzing local air pollution in detail.