Germany · Lower Saxony · 8 cities
Air quality in Lower Saxony today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Göttingen has the cleanest air of the 8 cities we track in Lower Saxony (AQI 44, Good), and Oldenburg the worst (AQI 106, Unhealthy for sensitive groups). Göttingen has the most tree cover, at 45.0% — #17 of 71 cities measured in Germany.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 2 km around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
AQI 76
Average right now
Moderate
- cities tracked
- 8
- average tree cover
- 36.5%
- Germany: 38.4%
- worst air now: Oldenburg
- 106
- cleanest air now: Göttingen
- 44
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Lower Saxony · average AQI 76
Air quality today across Lower Saxony, city by city
| Hannover | 82Moderate | 35.3% | — | #39 of 71 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braunschweig | 77Moderate | 37.6% | — | #35 of 71 |
| Osnabrück | 66Moderate | 36.9% | — | #36 of 71 |
| Oldenburg | 106Unhealthy for sensitive groups | 42.9% | — | #22 of 71 |
| Wolfsburg | 77Moderate | 34.6% | — | #42 of 71 |
| Göttingen | 44Good | 45.0% | — | #17 of 71 |
| Salzgitter | 77Moderate | 23.3% | 20.3K | #68 of 71 |
| Hildesheim | 77Moderate | 36.6% | — | #38 of 71 |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 2 km of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in Germany.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Lower Saxony lost?
Since 2001, Lower Saxony has lost about 139,000 hectares of forest (about 190,000 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 3,840 hectares (2.8%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 139,000 haabout 190,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 11%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3,840 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 | 105 ha | 1,270 ha | 1,370 ha |
| 2002 | 54 ha | 582 ha | 636 ha |
| 2003 | 61 ha | 367 ha | 428 ha |
| 2004 | 170 ha | 3,050 ha | 3,220 ha |
| 2005 | 196 ha | 2,550 ha | 2,740 ha |
| 2006 | 222 ha | 3,920 ha | 4,140 ha |
| 2007 | 162 ha | 4,550 ha | 4,710 ha |
| 2008 | 236 ha | 4,830 ha | 5,070 ha |
| 2009 | 200 ha | 1,850 ha | 2,050 ha |
| 2010 | 254 ha | 6,090 ha | 6,340 ha |
| 2011 | 137 ha | 1,220 ha | 1,360 ha |
| 2012 | 155 ha | 2,530 ha | 2,690 ha |
| 2013 | 67 ha | 1,190 ha | 1,260 ha |
| 2014 | 95 ha | 1,300 ha | 1,400 ha |
| 2015 | 92 ha | 1,340 ha | 1,440 ha |
| 2016 | 130 ha | 2,150 ha | 2,280 ha |
| 2017 | 132 ha | 2,680 ha | 2,820 ha |
| 2018 | 199 ha | 8,060 ha | 8,260 ha |
| 2019 | 283 ha | 15,000 ha | 15,300 ha |
| 2020 | 199 ha | 21,500 ha | 21,700 ha |
| 2021 | 172 ha | 19,000 ha | 19,200 ha |
| 2022 | 147 ha | 10,100 ha | 10,200 ha |
| 2023 | 172 ha | 11,900 ha | 12,100 ha |
| 2024 | 112 ha | 4,340 ha | 4,450 ha |
| 2025 | 85 ha | 3,570 ha | 3,650 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 9,920 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 10,100 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2020, when about 21,700 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Lower Saxony?
- Loggingcan grow back96% · 133,000 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good2% · 2,720 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown1.2% · 1,690 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, wildfires, mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural 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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