Skip to content
Airleaf
Shop
Air quality now: AQI90Moderate, Lincoln

City report · England, United Kingdom

Lincoln Air quality today

Air quality in Lincoln currently reads AQI 90 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

AQI 90

Air quality right now

Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
30.3
tree cover
25.2%
trees in this area
78.6K
more trees needed
15.0K

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Lincoln, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 13, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

Lincoln · AQI 90 (Moderate)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Aug 13, 2026

Lincoln's tree count comes to 78,614 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.48 km²) of land, 5 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 14,974 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Lincoln today: AQI 90, Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 10:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 11 ground-station cities within 85 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Estimate · model corrected with 11 station cities within 52.8 mi (85 km), e.g. Mansfield and Nottingham

Health signal

Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

PM2.5

30.3

PM10

20.6

NO₂

14.7

O₃

33.0

SO₂

1.2

CO

216.0

Outdoor exercise
Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
Windows
Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
Mask
Not needed for most people
Air purifier
Worth running if you are sensitive

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Lincoln's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 24 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 97 on Nov 7.

Last 7 daysavg 61 · peak 97
Nov 4: AQI 24 (peak 46)Nov 5: AQI 24 (peak 34)Nov 6: AQI 58 (peak 77)Nov 7: AQI 74 (peak 97)Nov 8: AQI 85 (peak 96)Nov 9: AQI 84 (peak 88)Nov 10: AQI 76 (peak 80)
Nov 4Nov 10

This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index

Where Lincoln stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Lincoln: Below target

25.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.48 km²) of land.

5 points below target

Trees in this area

78,614

Target trees

93,588

More trees needed

14,974

CO₂ if planted / yr

329.4 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Lincoln lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lincoln has lost about 35 hectares of forest (about 49 football pitches): 2.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 10 hectares (29%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.

Satellite image of the area around Lincoln, August 2017

2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
35 haabout 49 football pitches
Share of its forest
2.2%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
10 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2023, when about 6 hectares of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Lincoln, 2001–2025

Hectares of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Lincoln, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.6.2

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Lincoln, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
20011 ha2 ha3 ha
2002under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2003under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2004under 1 haunder 1 ha1 ha
2005under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2006under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2007under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2008under 1 ha1 ha2 ha
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2010under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20113 haunder 1 ha4 ha
2012under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2013under 1 ha1 ha2 ha
2014under 1 ha5 ha6 ha
2015under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2016under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2017under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2018under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20192 haunder 1 ha2 ha
2020under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2021under 1 ha1 ha1 ha
2022under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2023under 1 ha6 ha6 ha
2024under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2025under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha

What is causing deforestation around Lincoln?

  • Loggingcan grow back53% · 19 ha
  • Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good22% · 8 ha
  • Towns and roadscleared for good8.3% · 3 ha

Also: unknown causes.

Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.

Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020

Forest in 2000
1,590 ha
Forest in 2020
2,200 ha
Overall change
+616 hamore forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lincoln grew from about 1,590 hectares to 2,200 hectares, a net gain of about 616 hectares (+39%). New forest grew on about 630 hectares, while 14 hectares were lost.

These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.

These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.

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. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured

In the same region

Measured cities near Lincoln

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • Mansfield

    United Kingdom

    45.3 km
    Tree cover
    30%
    Air quality
    48
  • Nottingham

    United Kingdom

    51.0 km
    Tree cover
    27%
    Air quality
    48
  • Doncaster

    United Kingdom

    51.3 km
    Tree cover
    14%
    Air quality
    37
  • Chesterfield

    United Kingdom

    58.5 km
    Tree cover
    27%
    Air quality
    40
  • Rotherham

    United Kingdom

    58.9 km
    Tree cover
    31%
    Air quality
    40
  • Kingston upon Hull

    United Kingdom

    59.1 km
    Tree cover
    10%
    Air quality
    24

Build your own

Compare Lincoln with anywhere

This place

Lincoln

Use this data

Put Lincoln's numbers on your site

Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.

Lincoln air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
HTML
Markdown

Frequently asked

Questions about Lincoln

What is the air quality (AQI) in Lincoln right now?

The latest reading for Lincoln shows an AQI of 90 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 10:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 11 ground-station cities within 85 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Lincoln today?

At AQI 90 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.

What has the air quality in Lincoln been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Lincoln's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 24 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 97 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Is Lincoln's AQI the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?

No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.

How much forest has the area around Lincoln lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lincoln has lost about 35 hectares of forest (about 49 football pitches): 2.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 10 hectares (29%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lincoln grew from about 1,590 hectares to 2,200 hectares, a net gain of about 616 hectares (+39%). New forest grew on about 630 hectares, while 14 hectares were lost.

What is the tree count in Lincoln?

Lincoln has an estimated 78,614 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.48 km²) of land measured — 25.2% tree cover, 5 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Lincoln need?

Lincoln needs roughly 14,974 more trees to close a 5-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 329.4 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

How are Lincoln's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Lincoln; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

See your own area

What does your neighborhood look like?

Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.

Check my address