Analysis of short-term changes in air quality for two industrial zones by innovative polygon trend analysis

Air pollution is a global issue requiring investigation into its temporal changes, impacts, and causes to mitigate adverse environmental and human health effects. Analyzing trends is crucial for understanding air quality variations, climate change, and socioeconomic development over time. The innovative polygon trend analysis method was applied to compare the Dilovasi industrial zone in Turkey and the Gumi industrial complex-1 in South Korea from 2015 to 2020. Monthly data were examined for key pollutants, including PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, and CO, to identify significant changes in each industrial zone. PM₁₀ and NO₂ concentrations exhibited decreasing trends in both industrial zones, except for an increase solely in PM₁₀ in October. SO₂ concentrations decreased during January to April but increased during the remaining months. CO levels in the DIZ increased throughout the year, except for February and November. In the GIC-1, PM₁₀ showed an upward trend in January, February, March, November, and December, with the opposite pattern observed for the rest of the year. SO₂, CO, and NO₂ concentrations in the GIC-1 decreased consistently throughout the year. CO exhibited the longest transition in change length in the DIZ, while NO₂ showed the longest trend length in the GIC-1. The results of this study highlight the suitability of IPTA for capturing significant changes in air quality within industrial zones. Furthermore, the insights provided by IPTA can help authorities comprehend the variations in air pollutants and make well-informed decisions to address this issue.