Air quality is one of the greatest environmental and health
issues, being the one side on which air pollution directly affects
human health, ecosystems, and climate. Whereas the World Health
Organization attributed more than 7 million deaths annually due
to air pollution directly or indirectly related, it remains one of the
most serious environmental challenges (Bade et al., 2024; WHO,
2023). Air quality is defined by the concentration levels of carbon
monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂),
nitrogen oxides (NOx), and ozone (O₃), also directly associated
with severe health effects and substantial general environmental
damage (Al-Qahtani et al., 2024). Air pollution contributes to
climate change by affecting greenhouse gas levels and acid rain
formation, which impacts agricultural crops and infrastructure
(Bertrand, 2021). Baghdad faces many environmental challenges,
including air pollution from human, industrial, and transportation
sources (Khaleel et al., 2024; Al-Rikabi et al., 2024; Talib et
al., 2021). Recently, environmental displacement has led to
the expansion of urban centers, causing agricultural land to be
converted into residential areas and vegetation cover to decrease,
which has directly contributed to rising temperatures as a result of
decreased natural cooling, increased absorption of solar radiation,
and changing wind patterns (Hashim et al., 2025; Ahmed and Al-
Ramahi 2022). Excessive use of fossil fuels has increased dangerous
atmospheric pollutants (Shah et al., 2021). Research shows that
pollutants such as NO₂ and SO₂ contribute to the aggravation of
respiratory and heart diseases, while ground-level ozone is linked to
increased incidence of chronic pulmonary diseases (Olstrup et al.,
2024).
The study aims to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution
of gaseous pollutants (CO, SO₂, NOₓ, O₃) in urban and agricultural
areas in Baghdad. Comparison of air pollutant concentrations
between wet and dry seasons to determine the impact of climatic
conditions on air quality. Assess air quality using the AQI index and
compare it with national and international standards. Understand the
effects of climatic factors (temperature, humidity, and wind speed)
Research Paper
Journal of Agrometeorology
ISSN : 0972-1665 (print), 2583-2980 (online)
Vol. No. 27 (2) :196 - 204 (June - 2025)
https://doi.org/10.54386/jam.v27i2.2924
https://journal.agrimetassociation.org/index.php/jam
ZAINAB N. ABDULATEEF
1*
, ADEL H. TALIB
1
and MAITHAM A. SULTAN
2
1
Department of Biology, College of Science for Women, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
2
Scientific Research Commission, Research and Technology of Environment, Water and Renewable Energy Center, Baghdad, Iraq
* Corresponding author’s e-mail: zainab.abd2102p@csw.uobaghdad.edu.iq
Spatiotemporal air quality variation between urban and agricultural areas: The
influence of climatic factors and pollution dynamics
Article info - DOI: https://doi.org/10.54386/jam.v27i2.2924
Received:25 February 2025; Accepted:13 April 2025; Published online : 1 June, 2025
“This work is licensed under Creative Common Attribution-Non Commercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) © Author (s)”
Air pollution is a critical environmental and meteorological concern, significantly influenced by climatic conditions and atmospheric dynamics.
Hence, the present study examines seasonal and daily variations in the concentrations of air pollutants, such as CO, SO₂, NOₓ, and O₃, in Baghdad,
based on the principle of meteorological influences during the wet and dry seasons. Data were collected at 23 transportation intersections in
during morning and afternoon periods. The results indicated a robust relationship between the levels of pollutants addition to an agricultural area
and meteorological conditions. Carbon monoxide showed an afternoon peak during the dry season owing to air stagnation (28.2–18.7 ppm).
Ozone concentrations also heightened in this season due to increased temperature and photochemical reactions (0.515–0.35 ppm). Levels of
ozone, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides reflect over-national air quality standards, with maxima seen in the dry season and more so in the
afternoons. The results of the Air Quality Index analysis show that the main factors causing a drastic decrease in quality during the dry season
are higher temperatures, scanty rainfall, and increased levels of photochemical activity. This result emphasizes the need to integrate meteorology
.into urban planning to mitigate pollution
Keywords: Air pollution, Air quality index, GIS analysis, Seasonal variation, Meteorology, Climate impact.
ABSTRACT