City report · England, United Kingdom
Rotherham Air quality today
Air quality in Rotherham currently reads AQI 82 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 82
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 25.9
- tree cover
- 31.2%
- trees in this area
- 97.9K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Rotherham, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 22, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Rotherham · AQI 82 (Moderate)
Rotherham's tree count comes to 97,920 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Rotherham today: AQI 82, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Sheffield Barnsley Road, United Kingdom, 4.4 mi (7.1 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
25.9
PM10
11.9
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, UK-AIR, air quality information resource - Defra, UK
- 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 Rotherham's daily AQI at 62 on average, from 28 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 91 on Nov 7.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Rotherham stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Rotherham: Healthy tree cover
31.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
97,920
Target trees
97,920
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Rotherham lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Rotherham has lost about 34 hectares of forest (about 47 football pitches): 1.3% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (33%), after which forest can grow back. About 14 hectares (41%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2018: satellite photo from September 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 34 haabout 47 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 1.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 14 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 7 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 | 4 ha | 3 ha | 7 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2006 | 3 ha | 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Rotherham?
- Loggingcan grow back33% · 11 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good22% · 8 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good15% · 5 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
- 4,010 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 4,110 ha
- Overall change
- +95 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Rotherham grew from about 4,010 hectares to 4,110 hectares, a net gain of about 95 hectares (+2.4%). New forest grew on about 120 hectares, while 24 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 Rotherham
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Doncaster18.1 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 52
- Chesterfield20.4 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 53
- Wakefield29.7 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 28
- Mansfield34.6 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 53
- Huddersfield37.3 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 28
- Leeds42.6 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 28
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Frequently asked
Questions about Rotherham
What is the air quality (AQI) in Rotherham right now?
The latest reading for Rotherham shows an AQI of 82 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by the Sheffield Barnsley Road, United Kingdom ground monitoring station, 4.4 mi (7.1 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Rotherham today?
At AQI 82 (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 Rotherham been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Rotherham's daily AQI at 62 on average, from 28 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 91 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Rotherham'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 Rotherham lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Rotherham has lost about 34 hectares of forest (about 47 football pitches): 1.3% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (33%), after which forest can grow back. About 14 hectares (41%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Rotherham grew from about 4,010 hectares to 4,110 hectares, a net gain of about 95 hectares (+2.4%). New forest grew on about 120 hectares, while 24 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Rotherham?
Rotherham has an estimated 97,920 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land measured — 31.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Rotherham need?
Rotherham has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Rotherham's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Rotherham, 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 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Rotherham; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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