Cimbala, JakubHrončeková Gregorová, BohuslavaHronček, Pavel2026-03-062026-03-0620251338-6034https://repo.umb.sk/handle/123456789/1299In: Acta Geographica Universitatis Comenianae : recenzovaný vedecký geografický časopis. Bratislava : Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, 2025. ISSN 1338-6034. Vol. 69, no. 2 (2025), pp. 179-198.This study analyses urban-rural differences in PM10 concentrations in Slovakia by spatio-temporal analysis using the inverse distance weighting (IDW) method. Data from 20 SHMI monitoring stations (2016–2022) confirm significant differences: annual mean concentrations in urban stations (24.78 μg/m³) significantly exceeded those in rural areas (16.78 μg/m³), with maximum winter values reaching up to 35.32 μg/m³ in urban traffic locations. Key findings indicate (1) significant seasonal variability with 69% higher concentrations in urban areas during winter, (2) a two-day maximum in peak traffic hours (28.53 μg/m³ versus 17.28 μg/m³ in rural areas), and (3) spatial hotspots in industrial areas. Methodologically, the study highlights the limits of IDW in areas with sparse station networks (e.g., rural regions) and suggests a combination with other geostatistical methods. The results have implications for regional environmental policies, in particular the optimization of the monitoring network and targeted emission reduction measures in urbanized areas.skCC BY-NC Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0. Internationalinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessmesto a vidiekinterpoláciapriestorová analýzaspatial analysisArticle