Abū al-Kahṣīb vs Şabāḩ as Sālim

Tree cover and air quality for both, measured the same way: Sentinel-2 imagery at 10 m detail over a 2 km radius from each city centre, and the live US EPA air quality index. Same radius and same index, so the two numbers compare directly.

Abū al-Kahṣīb has more tree cover — 5.8% against 4.0%.

Abū al-Kahṣīb has cleaner air right now — AQI 92 against 104.

Tree cover gap: 1.8 points; Abū al-Kahṣīb is ahead.
Air quality gap: 12 AQI; Abū al-Kahṣīb is cleaner.
Trees between them: 5.5K; Abū al-Kahṣīb has more standing.

Abū al-Kahṣīb

Iraq

Şabāḩ as Sālim

Kuwait

Tree cover

Share of the 2 km radius under canopy.

5.8%

4.0%

Air quality index

US EPA index, live, with its band. Lower is better.

92 · Moderate

104 · Unhealthy for sensitive groups

Trees standing

Estimated from the measured canopy area.

18.1K

12.6K

Trees still needed

To reach the same canopy target. Fewer is better.

75.6K

97.4K

CO₂ absorbed each year

By the trees already standing.

398K kg

276K kg

The full Abū al-Kahṣīb report18,112 trees, measured Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search The full Şabāḩ as Sālim report12,566 trees, measured Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search

Air quality in detail

What each city is breathing

Concentrations in µg/m³, measured at the same moment as the index above. Lower is better in every row. Şabāḩ as Sālim is read from nearby ground stations and Abū al-Kahṣīb is modelled — worth knowing, since the two are not quite like for like.

PM2.5

Fine particles, the pollutant that usually sets the index.

31.5 µg/m³

36.6 µg/m³

The last week, day by day

A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon. The week says whether it was the weather or the place.

Abū al-KahṣībŞabāḩ as Sālim· daily US EPA index, last 7 days

Daily air quality index for Abū al-Kahṣīb and Şabāḩ as Sālim
Day	Abū al-Kahṣīb	Şabāḩ as Sālim
22 Sept	87	140
23 Sept	96	150
24 Sept	132	239
25 Sept	138	441
26 Sept	100	449
27 Sept	87	157
28 Sept	77	118

Reading these numbers

What is actually being measured

Tree cover

The share of ground under canopy inside a 2 km radius of each city centre, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It is a measurement of that circle, not of the whole municipality — which is exactly what makes the two comparable, since city boundaries are drawn to wildly different rules around the world. Abū al-Kahṣīb leads here at 5.8%.

Air quality index

The live US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations — ground stations where a city has them nearby, and a model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so this is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place: Abū al-Kahṣīb reads 92 (moderate) and Şabāḩ as Sālim reads 104 (unhealthy for sensitive groups) right now.

Frequently asked

Abū al-Kahṣīb and Şabāḩ as Sālim, answered

Which has more trees, Abū al-Kahṣīb or Şabāḩ as Sālim?

Abū al-Kahṣīb, with roughly 18,112 trees inside its 2 km radius against 12,566. Tree cover tells a slightly different story from raw count: Abū al-Kahṣīb has the denser canopy at 5.8%.

Which has better air quality, Abū al-Kahṣīb or Şabāḩ as Sālim?

Abū al-Kahṣīb right now, at AQI 92 against 104 — a gap of 12 points. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day.

How many more trees does each city need?

Abū al-Kahṣīb needs about 75,570 more to reach its canopy target, and Şabāḩ as Sālim about 97,389. The target is the same share of ground for both, so the figures are directly comparable.

Are these two measured the same way?

Yes — that is the point of the page. Identical radius, identical satellite source at 10 m detail, and the same US EPA index for air. Nothing here is adjusted for population, city limits or climate, so the numbers describe the same-sized circle of ground in each place.

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