Enhancing Particulate Matter Estimation in Livestock-Farming Areas with a Spatiotemporal Deep Learning Model

Livestock farms are recognized sources of ammonia emissions, impacting nearby regions’ fine dust particle concentrations, though the full extent of this impact remains uncertain. Air dispersion models, commonly employed to estimate particulate matter (PM) levels, are heavily reliant on data quality, resulting in varying levels of accuracy. This study compares the performance of both air dispersion models and spatiotemporal deep learning models in estimating PM concentrations in Republic of Korea’s livestock-farming areas. Hourly PM concentration data, alongside temperature, humidity, and air pressure, were collected from seven monitoring stations across the study area. Using a 200 m × 200 m prediction grid, forecasts were generated for both 1 h and 24 h intervals using the Graz Lagrangian model (GRAL) and a one-dimensional convolutional neural network combined with the long short-term memory algorithm (1DCNN-LSTM). Results highlight the potential of the deep learning model to enhance PM prediction, indicating its promise as an effective alternative or supplement to conventional air dispersion models, particularly in data-scarce areas such as those surrounding livestock farms. Gaining a comprehensive understanding and evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each approach would offer valuable scientific insights for monitoring atmospheric pollution levels within a specific area.