Spatial Distribution of Atmospheric Ammonia using Passive Samplers in Jeollabuk-do

Atmospheric ammonia (NH₃) is a key important pollutant contributing to air quality and ecosystem. However, distributions and characteristics of atmospheric NH₃ are still poorly understood. In this study, using passive samplers, we measured atmospheric NH₃ concentrations from ten different monitoring sites at an urban area (three sites in Jeonju), a livestock area (three sites in Jeongeup), an agricultural area (three sites in Gimje), and a remote area (one site in Saemangeum) in Jeollabuk-do from June to December 2020. During the entire periods, a livestock area #3 showed the highest NH₃ concentration of ~161.1 ppb while a remote area #1 presented the lowest NH₃ concentration of ~4.9 ppb. During the summertime, there was a significant increase in atmospheric NH₃ levels at most sites. However, high NH₃ level was observed in winter at the point emission source of a large-scale pig farm due to the production of livestock manure and chemical fertilizer. During the whole periods, the average atmospheric NH₃ concentrations ranged in the livestock area (72.7±73.6 ppb)>agricultural area (34.9±26.4 ppb) > urban area (13.0±6.2 ppb)>remote area in Saemangeum (4.9±1.8 ppb). These results would be useful to establish an effective policy for ammonia reduction.