City report · Germany
Potsdam Air quality today
Air quality in Potsdam currently reads AQI 66 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 66
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 17.3
- tree cover
- 51.4%
- trees in this area
- 143K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Nördliche Innenstadt, Innenstadt, Potsdam, Germany (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 22, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Potsdam · AQI 66 (Moderate)
Potsdam's tree count comes to 143,069 trees across 11.14 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Potsdam today: AQI 66, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 17:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Potsdam-Zentrum, 500 m away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
17.3
PM10
23.7
NO₂
23.9
O₃
27.9
SO₂
2.9
CO
275.5
Data: OpenAQ · EEA
- 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 Potsdam's daily AQI at 60 on average, from 34 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 80 on Nov 10.
Where Potsdam stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Potsdam: Healthy tree cover
51.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 11.14 km² of land.
Trees in this area
143,069
Target trees
143,069
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Potsdam lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Potsdam has lost about 447 hectares of forest (about 630 football pitches): 3.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 112 hectares (25%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 447 haabout 630 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3.1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 112 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2021, when about 78 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 | 1 ha | 8 ha | 9 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 6 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2004 | 3 ha | 20 ha | 22 ha |
| 2005 | 3 ha | 17 ha | 20 ha |
| 2006 | 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2007 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2008 | 4 ha | 31 ha | 35 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2010 | 2 ha | 6 ha | 8 ha |
| 2011 | 4 ha | 12 ha | 16 ha |
| 2012 | 14 ha | 6 ha | 20 ha |
| 2013 | 2 ha | 6 ha | 9 ha |
| 2014 | 5 ha | 7 ha | 11 ha |
| 2015 | 2 ha | 8 ha | 10 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2017 | 3 ha | 31 ha | 33 ha |
| 2018 | 27 ha | 21 ha | 47 ha |
| 2019 | 6 ha | 14 ha | 20 ha |
| 2020 | 5 ha | 17 ha | 22 ha |
| 2021 | 14 ha | 64 ha | 78 ha |
| 2022 | 3 ha | 14 ha | 17 ha |
| 2023 | 6 ha | 15 ha | 21 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 7 ha | 7 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 17 ha | 18 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Potsdam?
- Loggingcan grow back72% · 321 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good19% · 84 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good6.1% · 27 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
- 14,300 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 14,800 ha
- Overall change
- +516 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Potsdam grew from about 14,300 hectares to 14,800 hectares, a net gain of about 516 hectares (+3.6%). New forest grew on about 752 hectares, while 236 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 Potsdam
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Berlin27.2 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 70
- Magdeburg102.0 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 75
- Halle (Saale)126.3 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 62
- Leipzig127.1 km
Germany
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 89
- Gorzów Wielkopolski150.6 km
Poland
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 34
- Szczecin151.9 km
Poland
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 71
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Frequently asked
Questions about Potsdam
What is the air quality (AQI) in Potsdam right now?
The latest reading for Potsdam shows an AQI of 66 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 17:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Potsdam-Zentrum, 500 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Potsdam today?
At AQI 66 (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 Potsdam been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Potsdam's daily AQI at 60 on average, from 34 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 80 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Potsdam lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Potsdam has lost about 447 hectares of forest (about 630 football pitches): 3.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 112 hectares (25%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Potsdam grew from about 14,300 hectares to 14,800 hectares, a net gain of about 516 hectares (+3.6%). New forest grew on about 752 hectares, while 236 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Potsdam?
Potsdam has an estimated 143,069 trees across the 11.14 km² of land measured — 51.4% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Potsdam need?
Potsdam has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Potsdam's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Nördliche Innenstadt, 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 Nördliche Innenstadt; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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