Longyearbyen
2 km around Longyearbyen 9170
Air quality now
AQI 8
0%
tree cover
43.4K more trees would reach 30% tree cover
Europe · air quality report · 1 city
Svalbard and Jan Mayen air quality today The AQI right now, city by city
Airleaf measures 1 city in Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Longyearbyen reads AQI 8 right now.
- cities measured
- 1
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Air quality in Longyearbyen right now
Good
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Svalbard and Jan Mayen lost?
Since 2001, Svalbard and Jan Mayen has lost about 231,000 hectares of forest (about 2,300 km²): 17% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (71%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 231,000 haabout 2,300 km²
- Share of its forest
- 17%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 163,000 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 5,560 ha | 330 ha | 5,890 ha |
| 2002 | 6,340 ha | 268 ha | 6,610 ha |
| 2003 | 5,470 ha | 191 ha | 5,660 ha |
| 2004 | 2,010 ha | 1,610 ha | 3,620 ha |
| 2005 | 9,430 ha | 301 ha | 9,730 ha |
| 2006 | 4,300 ha | 285 ha | 4,580 ha |
| 2007 | 7,070 ha | 790 ha | 7,860 ha |
| 2008 | 7,110 ha | 665 ha | 7,770 ha |
| 2009 | 9,100 ha | 461 ha | 9,560 ha |
| 2010 | 19,200 ha | 387 ha | 19,600 ha |
| 2011 | 4,000 ha | 413 ha | 4,420 ha |
| 2012 | 4,510 ha | 406 ha | 4,920 ha |
| 2013 | 1,290 ha | 212 ha | 1,500 ha |
| 2014 | 2,320 ha | 290 ha | 2,610 ha |
| 2015 | 718 ha | 254 ha | 972 ha |
| 2016 | 5,700 ha | 729 ha | 6,430 ha |
| 2017 | 47,900 ha | 55,400 ha | 103,000 ha |
| 2018 | 2,290 ha | 685 ha | 2,970 ha |
| 2019 | 2,410 ha | 217 ha | 2,630 ha |
| 2020 | 2,290 ha | 270 ha | 2,560 ha |
| 2021 | 2,090 ha | 272 ha | 2,360 ha |
| 2022 | 2,400 ha | 290 ha | 2,690 ha |
| 2023 | 3,810 ha | 1,000 ha | 4,810 ha |
| 2024 | 4,180 ha | 1,000 ha | 5,180 ha |
| 2025 | 1,930 ha | 823 ha | 2,750 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 3,560 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 23,600 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 103,000 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Svalbard and Jan Mayen?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good70% · 162,000 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back16% · 37,600 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back4.5% · 10,300 ha
Also: shifting farming, logging, towns and roads, mining and energy, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. How it's measured
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Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picked by tested clean-air delivery rate (CADR), noise and running cost, from independent test labels. No brand pays to be listed.
- The best air purifiers for wildfire smoke and smog
Air purifiers that keep up with wildfire smoke and winter smog, ranked by verified smoke CADR, with the room each one clears on a smoky day.
- The best air purifiers under $200
Good HEPA air purifiers under $200 at the makers' own prices, compared on verified clean air, room size and what the filters cost each year.
- NIOSH-approved N95 masks for smoke and smog
NIOSH-approved N95 masks and P100 respirators for smog and smoke, and how to get the fit right. Cloth and surgical masks do little against PM2.5.
Frequently asked
Air quality in Svalbard and Jan Mayen: your questions answered
What is the air quality in Svalbard and Jan Mayen today?
Airleaf measures 1 city in Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Longyearbyen reads AQI 8 right now.
How much forest has Svalbard and Jan Mayen lost since 2001?
About 231,000 ha from 2001 to 2025, 17% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 163,000 ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
How does Airleaf measure air quality in Svalbard and Jan Mayen?
Each city's reading is the US EPA air quality index, from ground monitoring stations where one has reported recently nearby, and from the CAMS atmospheric model elsewhere; each city's report says which. Tree cover is measured over the same 2 km radius in every city, so the cities compare like for like.
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