City report · Gwangju, South Korea
Masan Air quality today
Air quality in Masan currently reads AQI 69 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 69
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 18.5
- tree cover
- 20.4%
- trees in this area
- 63.8K
- more trees needed
- 30.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Masan-gil, Seo-gu, Gwangju, South Korea (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 23, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Masan · AQI 69 (Moderate)
Masan's tree count comes to 63,768 trees across 12.51 km² of land, 10 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 30,008 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Masan today: AQI 69, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 01:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · 우산동(광주), 3.9 km away · median of 9 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
18.5
PM10
34.5
NO₂
36.5
O₃
21.1
SO₂
7.3
CO
549.9
Data: OpenAQ · Korea Air Ministry of Environment, Korea Environment Corporation · AirKorea
- 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 Masan's daily AQI at 54 on average, from 40 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 90 on Nov 6.
Where Masan stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Masan: Below target
20.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.51 km² of land.
Trees in this area
63,768
Target trees
93,776
More trees needed
30,008
CO₂ if planted / yr
660.2 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Masan lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Masan has lost about 212 hectares of forest (about 300 football pitches): 4.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (72%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 212 haabout 300 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 4.7%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 153 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2011, when about 40 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2003 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2004 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2005 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2007 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2008 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2009 | 11 ha | 8 ha | 19 ha |
| 2010 | 26 ha | under 1 ha | 26 ha |
| 2011 | 36 ha | 4 ha | 40 ha |
| 2012 | 2 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2013 | 4 ha | 5 ha | 9 ha |
| 2014 | 5 ha | 11 ha | 16 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2016 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2017 | 2 ha | 12 ha | 14 ha |
| 2018 | 6 ha | 9 ha | 15 ha |
| 2019 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2020 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2021 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2024 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2025 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Masan?
- Towns and roadscleared for good55% · 116 ha
- Loggingcan grow back27% · 57 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good9.3% · 20 ha
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 6,490 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,340 ha
- Overall change
- −148 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Masan shrank from about 6,490 hectares to 6,340 hectares, a net loss of about 148 hectares (−2.3%). New forest grew on about 100 hectares, but 248 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 Masan
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Jeongeup53.1 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 77
- Mokpo53.2 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 62
- Suncheon62.9 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 46%
- Air quality
- 62
- Gwangyang81.3 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 70
- Jeonju82.4 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 79
- Yeosu86.0 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 48%
- Air quality
- 58
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Frequently asked
Questions about Masan
What is the air quality (AQI) in Masan right now?
The latest reading for Masan shows an AQI of 69 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 01:00 local time by 9 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is 우산동(광주), 3.9 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Masan today?
At AQI 69 (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 Masan been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Masan's daily AQI at 54 on average, from 40 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 90 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Masan lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Masan has lost about 212 hectares of forest (about 300 football pitches): 4.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (72%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Masan shrank from about 6,490 hectares to 6,340 hectares, a net loss of about 148 hectares (−2.3%). New forest grew on about 100 hectares, but 248 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Masan?
Masan has an estimated 63,768 trees across the 12.51 km² of land measured — 20.4% tree cover, 10 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Masan need?
Masan needs roughly 30,008 more trees to close a 10-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 660.2 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Masan's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Masan-gil, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Masan-gil; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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