Air quality comparison · China, 75 km apart
Linyi vs Zaozhuang Air quality index (AQI) today
Zaozhuang has cleaner air than Linyi right now: AQI 151 (Unhealthy) against 154 (Unhealthy).
Both sit in the same EPA band, so the health advice is the same for each today. But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Linyi averaged AQI 95 against 106, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days. Linyi has lost more forest since 2001. Linyi has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Linyi154Zaozhuang151
Head to head
Linyi vs Zaozhuang at a glance
Linyi and Zaozhuang are level, each ahead on 3 of 6 measures. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Linyi | Zaozhuang | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 154 | 151 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 59.4 | 56.1 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 95 (better) | 106 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 9 ha | 2 ha (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 14.3% (better) | 11.5% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 71.0K (better) | 89.5K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Linyi and Zaozhuang right now?
Zaozhuang has cleaner air than Linyi right now: AQI 151 (Unhealthy) against 154 (Unhealthy). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Linyi's PM2.5 is about 4.0× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. Zaozhuang's PM2.5 is about 3.7× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
LinyiZaozhuang
Concentrations at the same moment as the index above, for the pollutants both places report. Lower is better. The dark marks on the PM2.5 and PM10 rows show the WHO's 24-hour guidelines (15 and 45 µg/m³).
Linyi: Ground station · Lunan Pharmaceutical Factory, Linyi (临沂鲁南制药厂), 4.5 km away · median of 3 stations. Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Environmental Protection Department of Shandong Province (山东省环境保护厅).
Zaozhuang: Ground station · Shizhong District Government, Zaozhuang (枣庄市中区政府), 1.7 km away · median of 2 stations. Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Environmental Protection Department of Shandong Province (山东省环境保护厅).
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Linyi averaged AQI 95 against 106, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days. A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon; the week says whether it was the weather or the place.
- Cleaner days
- Linyi6Zaozhuang0
- Average AQI
- Linyi95Zaozhuang106
- Worst day, AQI
- Linyi132Zaozhuang141
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Linyi | Zaozhuang |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 113 | 141 |
| Nov 6 | 113 | 121 |
| Nov 7 | 98 | 98 |
| Nov 8 | 50 | 56 |
| Nov 9 | 57 | 73 |
| Nov 10 | 103 | 115 |
| Nov 11 | 132 | 137 |
Daily averages from the CAMS atmospheric model for both places, so the week compares like with like. They can differ from today's reading at the top of the page wherever that comes from a ground station.
What it means today
Is it safe to go outside in Linyi and Zaozhuang today?
Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so. Both are in the same EPA band today (Unhealthy), so the advice is the same.
Exercise outdoors
Everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it.
Windows
Keep them closed.
Masks
Wear an N95 outdoors.
Air purifier
Run one.
Against everywhere else
How do Linyi and Zaozhuang compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Linyi's air is cleaner than 10% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Zaozhuang's is cleaner than 11%. Within China, that is 17% and 20% of its 639 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Linyi
- Beats 10%
- Zaozhuang
- Beats 11%
More tree cover than…
- Linyi
- Beats 33%
- Zaozhuang
- Beats 25%
Includes model estimates as well as station readings, so it can differ from our most polluted and cleanest air rankings, which use station readings only.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
Which has lost more forest, Linyi or Zaozhuang?
Linyi has lost more: about 9 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 2 ha around Zaozhuang. 3 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Measured within 10 km of each center, from the yearly satellite maps of forest loss: a wider circle than the one for tree cover, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Worst year: 2002, with 3 ha lost.
Worst year: 2024, with 1 ha lost.
| Linyi | Zaozhuang | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 9 ha | 2 ha (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 3 ha | 1 ha (better) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Towns and roads (21%) | Mining and energy (57%) |
Satellite timelapses
Watch both change, year by year
A clear satellite photo a year of the land around each city. Press play, turn on the forest cleared since the first year, or drag the before and after.
Linyi
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Zaozhuang
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Linyi or Zaozhuang?
Linyi has more tree cover: 14.3% of the land within 2 km of its center against 11.5% around Zaozhuang, or about 39,534 trees against 36,128.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Linyi | Zaozhuang | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 39.5K (better) | 36.1K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 71.0K (better) | 89.5K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 870K kg (better) | 795K kg |
Tree cover on the satellite image
The same 2 km radius around each center, with the tree cover the satellite found marked on it.
Reading these numbers
How this comparison is made
Air quality index
The US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations: ground stations where a place has them nearby, and the CAMS atmospheric model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so it is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place. The guideline marks are from the WHO's 2021 air quality guidelines.
Trees and forest
Tree cover is the share of ground under canopy within 2 km of each center, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It measures that circle, not the whole municipality, which is what makes the two comparable. Forest loss comes from the University of Maryland's Global Forest Change maps.
More on the method on the About Airleaf page.
Frequently asked
Linyi vs Zaozhuang: your questions answered
Is Zaozhuang cleaner than Linyi?
On air quality, yes, right now: Zaozhuang reads AQI 151 against 154, a gap of 3 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Linyi averaged AQI 95 against 106, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Linyi and Zaozhuang today?
The advice is the same for both today. Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so. Linyi reads AQI 154 and Zaozhuang reads AQI 151.
Which has lost more forest, Linyi or Zaozhuang?
Linyi has lost more: about 9 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 2 ha around Zaozhuang. 3 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Linyi or Zaozhuang?
Linyi has more tree cover: 14.3% of the land within 2 km of its center against 11.5% around Zaozhuang, or about 39,534 trees against 36,128. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Linyi and Zaozhuang need?
Linyi needs about 71,050 more to reach its canopy target of 40%, and Zaozhuang about 89,535 to reach 40%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Linyi and Zaozhuang measured the same way?
The method is the same: the US EPA index for air, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail over an identical radius for trees. Both readings come from nearby ground stations. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Linyi vs Zaozhuang comparison update?
The air readings refresh about once an hour, and each reading's local time is shown at the top of the page. Tree cover comes from the latest clear satellite image of each area (Sep 22, 2026 and Sep 22, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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