Air quality comparison · Oman, 847 km apart
Şaḩam vs Şalālah Air quality index (AQI) today
Şaḩam has cleaner air than Şalālah right now: AQI 38 (Good) against 63 (Moderate).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Şalālah averaged AQI 68 against 77, and it was the cleaner of the two on 4 of those days. Şalālah has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Şaḩam38Şalālah63
Head to head
Şaḩam vs Şalālah at a glance
Şaḩam is ahead on 3 of 5 measures, and Şalālah on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Şaḩam | Şalālah | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 38 (better) | 63 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 6.2 (better) | 14.6 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 77 | 68 (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 12.0% | 13.6% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 31.9K (better) | 51.5K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Şaḩam and Şalālah right now?
Şaḩam has cleaner air than Şalālah right now: AQI 38 (Good) against 63 (Moderate). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Both readings are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either.
ŞaḩamŞalālah
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).
Şaḩam: Estimate · model corrected with 4 station cities within 205 km, e.g. Dubai and Ajman. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 4 ground-station cities within 205 km, US EPA index.
Şalālah: Model estimate · no ground station nearby. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Şalālah averaged AQI 68 against 77, and it was the cleaner of the two on 4 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
- Şaḩam3Şalālah4
- Average AQI
- Şaḩam77Şalālah68
- Worst day, AQI
- Şaḩam82Şalālah79
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Şaḩam | Şalālah |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | 76 | 77 |
| Nov 5 | 81 | 61 |
| Nov 6 | 82 | 69 |
| Nov 7 | 77 | 79 |
| Nov 8 | 66 | 75 |
| Nov 9 | 77 | 55 |
| Nov 10 | 79 | 60 |
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 Şaḩam and Şalālah today?
Şaḩam (AQI 38, Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Şalālah (AQI 63, Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Exercise outdoors
- Şaḩam
- A good day to be active outside.
- Şalālah
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
Windows
- Şaḩam
- Open them to air the house.
- Şalālah
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
- Şaḩam
- Not needed.
- Şalālah
- Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
- Şaḩam
- Not needed.
- Şalālah
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Şaḩam and Şalālah compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Şaḩam's air is cleaner than 72% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Şalālah's is cleaner than 45%. Within Oman, that is 100% and 57% of its 8 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Şaḩam
- Beats 72%
- Şalālah
- Beats 45%
More tree cover than…
- Şaḩam
- Beats 26%
- Şalālah
- Beats 31%
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.
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.
Şaḩam
2017: satellite photo from December 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Şalālah
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Şaḩam or Şalālah?
Şalālah has more tree cover: 13.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 12.0% around Şaḩam, or about 42,683 trees against 21,300.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Şaḩam | Şalālah | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 21.3K | 42.7K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 31.9K (better) | 51.5K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 469K kg | 939K kg (better) |
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
Şaḩam vs Şalālah: your questions answered
Is Şaḩam cleaner than Şalālah?
On air quality, yes, right now: Şaḩam reads AQI 38 against 63, a gap of 25 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, Şalālah averaged AQI 68 against 77, and it was the cleaner of the two on 4 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Şaḩam and Şalālah today?
In Şaḩam, at AQI 38: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone. In Şalālah, at AQI 63: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which has more trees, Şaḩam or Şalālah?
Şalālah has more tree cover: 13.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 12.0% around Şaḩam, or about 42,683 trees against 21,300. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Şaḩam and Şalālah need?
Şaḩam needs about 31,950 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Şalālah about 51,471 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Şaḩam and Şalālah 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 are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Şaḩam vs Şalālah 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 19, 2026 and Sep 16, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
Keep going
Compare them with somewhere else
Build your own
Compare Şaḩam with somewhere else
This place
Şaḩam