Cheonan air quality map

What type of information about air quality can be found on the air pollution map for Cheonan?

There is a lot of extremely interesting information about air quality on the air pollution map for Cheonan and it can be found using the link on the main city page. The air pollution map acts as a link which will open a new set of pages filled with all the information needed.

When it reopens the user will see a solid wall of colour as the background of the map which is used as a visual message indicating the current air quality. In early May 2023, the colour was greenish/yellow which showed the air quality to be “Moderate”. Colours are standard across the entire IQAir website and can vary between pale green and dark maroon, where the darker colours show worsening air quality. The legend at the foot of the page carries a full explanation of all the colours and their meanings.

There are also many coloured discs scattered across the map. These circles represent the sites of the ground-level air monitoring stations in the vicinity, but they are not all under the jurisdiction of the city. The colours of the discs are the same as the rest of the colour codes. They all display a number at their centre which is the United States Air Quality Index reading or US AQI for short. This figure is calculated by measuring the levels of up to six of the most prolific pollutants found in the city air. These are usually both sizes of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. If the discs are superimposed on top of each other and difficult to see, the map can be expanded which should begin to separate them and make them easier to see.

Each station can be individually chosen and explored further because they all contain a lot of information relevant to their own specific areas. These figures are regularly updated and are really useful when travelling around the region.

Once the US AQI reading is established it can be used as a standard when making comparisons between different areas across the globe.

Looking back at the main city page it can be seen in the coloured banner across the top that in early May 2023, Cheonan was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 92. The yellow background of the banner also reflects this quality. The main pollutant was found to be PM2.5 with a recorded level of 31.5 µg/m³ (microns per cubic metre) which is more than six times the suggested target figure of 5 µg/m³ as recommended by the WHO.

Immediately below the air pollution map for Cheonan can be seen the number of contributors there are and the number of ground-level air monitoring stations they operate. There are currently 31 contributors who collate information about air quality from 34 stations. Two of the contributors are government departments and the remaining 29 wish to remain anonymous. The government departments are the Chungnam Institute of Health and Environment and the Korea Environment Corporation. Between them, they operate almost 400 stations.

What other information about air quality can be found on the air pollution map for Cheonan?

There are a lot more facts and figures to be discovered by selecting the icon at the top of the opening page which will open a new set of pages filled with information.

When viewed in this way, a list of four options will be seen on the left-hand side of the screen. These can each be turned on or off to see the effects they have on the map.

The first option shows the sites of all the ground-level monitoring stations there are in the area, although they are not all controlled by the city.

The second option shows the positions of any wildfires there are that are burning out of control in the area. At the time of writing in May 2023, there was a cluster of wildfires in the north towards Gogok-ri. When fires are detected, option four needs to be consulted because it shows the speed and direction of the prevailing winds and will give a good indication of where the smoke may drift.

Option number three can be very dramatic because it changes the colour of the map to visually represent the current air quality. When the air quality is poor, the map will become rather dark which might make it difficult to understand, if this is the case the option can be deactivated and the map will revert to lighter colours.

On the right-hand side of the screen are listed the seven most polluted cities in the world in the AQI ranking. There are more facts and figures about the rest of the participating cities in the full ranking section.

There is also information about the most polluted area of the city according to their US AQI figures. Currently, this is in the vicinity of the Seongjeong 2-dong Administrative Welfare Centre which recorded levels of 82, classified as “Moderate”. The most popular stations are also listed according to the number of followers they each have. The current most popular one is at Seonghwang-dong with over 50,000 loyal followers.

Can the source of the polluted air be identified on the air quality map for Cheonan?

The source of the polluted air is not shown directly on the air quality map for Cheonan but as with most large cities, exhaust fumes from vehicles are a major source.

Cheonan City is concentrating its efforts on building infrastructure to spread eco-friendly cars with low emission of pollutants to reduce fine dust, the main culprit of air pollution, and promote healthy lives of citizens.

PM10 and PM2.5 are often quoted on the air pollution map for Cheonan, but what are they?

PM stands for Particulate Matter. Fine dust PM10 means dust less than 10 microns in diameter. It is used as an air pollution indicator in many countries around the world. Korea has been forecasting fine dust based on PM10 since 2014.

Fine dust PM2.5 refers to dust with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns. It is called fine dust and ultrafine dust. It is usually created by man-made air and is very dangerous to the body. Along with PM10, it has become an indicator of air pollution.